For Those You Love - REDUX
by HarryPotterTwin
Summary: When 20 year old Lee Jackson Everett was roped into chaperoning his brother's New Years Eve party, he never would have even guessed that a chance meeting with a girl would lead to a lifetime of adventure. For better or worse, his life was about to change. And he had no idea yet. (AU - Set Pre-Apocalypse - CarLee centric)
1. Chapter 1 - The New Year

**_For Those You Love (REDUX)_**  
 ** _Chapter 1 -_** ** _Happy New Year_**

 _A/N - Hello ladies and gents! And welcome to the story! This has been in the works for a LONG time (almost 6 months! :O) and I apologize for that. But I've had a lot on the go lately. I hope you all enjoy this, and thank you all so much for the support you've given me. An especially big thank you to my amazing girlfriend, Izzy. I love you so much gorgeous girl, and I am so sorry for being such a huge pain lately. Thank you so much for sticking around, and for just being YOU in general. Love you 3_

 _Anyway; on with the story! Please read and pop a review on if you enjoyed, and I'll get to working on Chapter 2!_

Lee Everett hated parties.

Never had a statement been truer than at that moment in time, as he stood in his crowded living room; surrounded by near-naked, dancing girls, and guys who seemed to find it essential to constantly wear snapbacks and shades even while indoors.

Parties were always the worst. And it just so happened that he'd been roped in to chaperone his brother's high-school party by his parents, who had well and truly dodged a bullet by going on a 'stock-taking spree' at the pharmacy. This left the twenty year old alone to face the throng of rowdy eighteen year olds that had all but invaded his home; one of which being his brother, Bradley, who seemed to have completely flipped in personality once the other teens had arrived. Where he'd been a polite and courteous young man, he was now (for lack of better description) a douchebag.

However, when Lee had pointed this out to the boy in question, he'd received a roll of the eyes, and a reminder that he'd been exactly the same at his age; if not worse.

So, in response to this, the older man had resorted to moping by the beer bottles, a lukewarm drink in his hand, where it had remained since seven that evening. Of course, Lee had been less than well behaved as a teenager. He'd drank, smoked (both cigarettes and cannabis), and just been a downright nightmare to live and deal with. But he'd grown out of that aged eighteen, when he was running the risk of not graduating high school.

His history teacher had taken him under his wing, and evoked a passion within the younger man for all aspects of American history; in particular, the subject of Civil Wartime America. He'd even so much as paid for Lee to take trips to visit memorial grounds, and re-enactments. And in doing all of this, that history teacher turned Lee Jackson Everett's life around. He was no longer the moody, angry teenager he'd been prior; getting high every weekend and sleeping with anything that had two legs and a pulse. No. He was very fast becoming a mature young man his parents could be proud of for once. He even developed an interest in teaching, eventually pursuing this career at UGA; a notion that would have been completely out of the question due to bad grades.

"Excuse me?" A voice called above the din, snapping the Twenty Year-Old from his musings. He looked around, expecting yet another one of Brad's voluptuous female friends to have come back, even more drunk and sultry than the previous times. Evidently, he still had the charm he'd once had as a seventeen year old boy. And the girls at the party seemed to like the fact that he was a little more mature than the other guys at the party; He'd been approached by at least five girls within the first hour.

However, this girl was different. When he looked around, his eyes were met with quite frankly the prettiest girl he'd ever set eyes on. She was small; must have been no taller than five foot three, and was almost dwarfed by his six foot two, muscular frame. Her long, brown hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, reaching just past her shoulder blades, held in place with a black hair-tie, and flowing onto her ice-blue dress. But the thing Lee focused on was her eyes. Good lord, her eyes. They were the brightest emerald green Lee had ever seen; sparkling brilliantly in the dimly lit room.

He was so immersed in simply taking in her appearance that he completely missed what she was saying. And it was then that he realized that he had been staring at her for at least half a minute, simply blinking with a dropped jaw, in absolute awe of her.

 _"Fucking think, Lee!"_ He mentally screamed, his mouth opening and closing, as he attempted to think of something—anything to say to her. _"Dude, this girl's hot as hell, and you're staring at her like an idiot! Just say_ _ **anything**_ _!"_

Thankfully, the girl in question broke the awkward silence, smiling shyly at the gaping man, and tucking some stray hair behind her ear with one hand, while the other extended and pointed to the area just behind him. "I… Uh… I was wondering if I could have a cup of the punch. Or are you keeping guard over it?" She joked lightly, evidently amused with his reaction to her presence.

This seemed to kick something off in Lee's brain, as he immediately started into action, all but jumping to the side, in order to allow her access to the punch bowl, which he'd evidently been blocking. "I-Uh, sorry. I was—uh…"

"Wishing you weren't here?" She finished for him, clearly still amused by the stammering man in front of her. The girl leaned against the table once she had filled her cup, cradling it in her palm, against her chest with a smirk of satisfaction on her face.

Admittedly, the guy was pretty cute. She'd never state it outright; Carley Palmer never would admit it. She'd never be the first to make a move on a guy. But he was definitely cute; that she would wholly admit. His dark brown eyes shone in the dim light, accentuating his dark skin, and his spiked, black hair. And boy was he tall; must've been at least six feet, if not taller.

Okay, so he wasn't her usual 'type' so to speak. She usually went for jock types; all brawn and no brains. But… he seemed different; that much was true. His intelligence shone through his deep, dark eyes, which held warmth and friendliness, rather than the obnoxiousness, or pig-headedness she was used to with college guys.

However, this didn't stop her from speaking again, amused to no end by the reaction she'd gotten from the man in front of her. "I'm not going to lie; you're not the only one who wishes they weren't here." She admitted, the ghost of a smirk still evident across her lips.

"So…" She continued, trying her best to break through the awkward silence that fell between them. Carley sensed that the man wasn't used to talking to girls. She said, smirking playfully up at him, as she leaned with her lower back against the table. "Do you have a name? Or did your parents just leave that part of your birth certificate blank?"

It seemed that this triggered something in Lee's mind, as almost immediately, he snapped out of whatever trance he'd been in. He extended his hand, and gulped, to clear his throat, before speaking; albeit cracking and hoarse.

"I-I'm Lee. Lee Everett." He answered, unable to stop the nerves showing through. He'd always been confident; even bordering on cocky or arrogant for a while back in high school. But he would never be able to talk to girls without stammering. He never could, and he never would be able to.

Carley smiled at that, unable to help it. God, he was so goddamn cute, and she couldn't help thinking it. "Well _Lee Everett_ ," She started, the smile written across her features turning ever so slowly into a playful smirk. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Carley; Carley Palmer."

Her dainty hand outstretched, which he slowly, tentatively grasped, giving it a small shake. It was almost as if he was scared he would hurt her or break her. And although Carley could handle herself; although she wanted to angrily rant at him about how just because she was a woman, it didn't mean she was any weaker… something stopped her. Somehow she knew he was completely aware of just how strong she was; that he was simply doing it as a sign of respect, not patronization, as it was with the other guys she'd been with.

"It's… It's nice to meet you, Carley." Lee nodded, seemingly already more comfortable around her, as he didn't stumble over his words as much as he'd previously done. He seemed to be more confident around her, and nodded in acknowledgement, while sending her a small smile.

They soon fell into a comfortable silence, their hands still clasped for what felt like an eternity; simply staring into each other eyes and shaking hands ever so slightly. It was a good two minutes, before Lee came to his senses, and cleared his throat; unlinking their hands, before running his hand through his hair nervously and awkwardly. Carley seemed to mirror his awkwardness, a blush colouring her cheeks, and her ankles crossing nervously.

"So… _Lee_." She started after a few moments, clearing her throat and staring down into her cup, swirling the deep red beverage contained within it. "How do you know Brad? I don't recognize you from around campus. So you're an old friend?"

"You could say that." Lee smiled, letting out a chuckle, and taking a sup of his beer. He shook his head as he gulped, before speaking again. "Seeing as he's my baby brother."

The woman's shock was evident, as her jaw dropped and a blush spread across her cheeks in embarrassment. Of course he was Brad's brother! All of the other girls had been raving about him! "Oh! So you're the hot broth-" She started, before cutting herself off upon realizing what she had said.

Lee's heart all but stopped in his chest, before speeding up tenfold. His breath caught, and his mind reeled at the information she'd just shared. _'The hot brother, huh? Rock on, Lee-Boy!'_ He mentally screamed. In an attempt to seem cool, he ran his hand through his hair, and leaned casually against the table behind him, his fingers staying hooked around the nape of his neck.

That was how he'd _hoped_ to look.

However, in reality, it was completely the opposite. In an attempt to seem casual in front of the girl, he'd leaned back way more than was classed as 'natural'; becoming more horizontal than upright, and blushing brightly, while stammering out a mish-mash of broken syllables and sounds. All the while, Lee mentally kicked himself. _"Good going, dickhead,"_ He spat to himself, flinching. _"You had your chance with a super-hot girl and you blew it!"_

He was too caught up in his own mental tirade that he hadn't noticed the music suddenly getting louder, which made Carley flinch. She turned around, noting to herself how everyone seemed to start dancing wildly—or at least wild _er_ than they were before, before turning back around to the man in front of her. She reached out and took his wrist in her hand as a way to recapture his attention, before gesturing to the doorway. A silent agreement seemed to pass between the two, which resulted in Lee taking hold of her hand, and leading her towards the doorway protectively; emerging into the Winters Night air.

As soon as the door closed behind them, it was as if the sudden quiet swallowed them; engulfing them with muffled dance-music and laughter.

"I'm sorry," Carley began, her breath coming out in puffs of smoke as she stood with her arms folded, leaning against the porch support-beam. "I just… Needed to get some air. And I didn't really want to try and get through that crowd on my own. Someone of my stature can really get lost in big groups of people."

The man simply shook his head in response, his hand forming a gesture as if brushing away her words, as he leaned against the support beam on the opposite side of the steps leading up to the porch. "Save it, Carley," He answered, a smirk spreading across his lips as he turned his head to look at her. "You don't have to apologize. Okay? I understand."

The woman smiled silently back at him, her gratitude clearly showing through her expression and stance alone, and they fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually, though, the quiet was broken by a deep rumbling sound; resulting in a blush coming from the woman.

Lee's brow furrowed in concern at the sound, his head snapping around to look at her, before he realized exactly what it was that had caused the noise. "… You're hungry?" He asked softly, pushing off of the railing gently, and walking over to her. A quick glance at his watch later, he slipped off his jacket, and handed it over to her. "C'mon. You need some Pizza. Stat." Then, before Carley had a chance to reply or complain, he had grabbed her hand, and pulled her gently after him down the porch steps, heading down the street towards the local pizzeria.

An hour passing saw them walking out of said pizzeria with slices of Pepperoni pizza in hand, and Lee's jacket still firmly wrapped around Carley's shoulder. Parties still raged behind closed doors, resulting in muffled yelling, singing, and music.

"So, I wanna know," She started, her head leaning gently on her companion's shoulder, as they strolled down the deserted street arm-in-arm, their breaths coming out in puffs of smoke with each exhale. "How come there's a Pizza place open on New Year's? Shouldn't he be out; Y'know; partying? Like everyone else in this shithole of a Town?"

The laugh that left Lee echoed through the night air; a deep rumble in the still quiet; surprisingly pleasant to Carley's ears. Somehow, she felt at ease with the man. Even though they'd only just met, she felt like she'd known him for years, and she wanted to get to know him even more.

"Yeah, he probably should." Lee replied, completely oblivious to her thoughts, as they continued to stroll down the deserted street. "But he's done this for… well, since I can remember. New Year 's Eve is his biggest earner, believe it or not. Most of the people who throw parties underestimate how much food they'll need. So when they run out, they flock to the first and only place they see that's open."

Carley smiled as she listened to him talk, looking up at him in concentration, and almost a little admiration. At some point, they'd stopped walking, and were now standing face-to-face, staring into each other's eyes in the middle of the road.

It happened almost automatically then. Lee's hand moved up to gently brush flyaway hairs from Carley's face. His fingers grazed her cheek, as his hand pushed her hair back, to tuck it behind her ear gently, almost lovingly. "You know…" Lee started; his voice was quiet and filled with absolute admiration, and his eyes were soft as they gazed into hers; his lips slowly curling into a soft, content smile. "I can honestly say this has been the best New Year's Party I've ever been to… "

A blush crept over Carley's face at his actions, her hair falling back down to over her eyes again, for which she was almost thankful for. Any time she'd allowed herself to get flustered in front of guys in the past, they'd taunted her for it. She had a feeling the man in front of her wasn't like that. But still, old habits die hard, right?

It was almost instinctive when she looked back up at him. Slowly, her emerald eyes closed, and she straightened her posture, leaning up to capture his lips with hers. The action was mirrored by the man in question, his own eyes closing in anticipation.

Their lips were about to meet in a chaste, gentle kiss, when they were rudely interrupted by the throngs of party-goers around them. It seemed almost planned how they were dragged away from each other by their friends.

And, before they knew it, the countdown to New Year had rolled upon them, resulting in Lee being dragged into a loud, excited rendition of 'Auld Lang Syne' by his brother, who it seemed was completely oblivious to the fact that he'd interrupted something, which it was also evident was purely down to the fact that he was completely and utterly wasted.

And as he took one last look over his shoulder at Carley, who was dancing and singing with what must have been a group of her friends, he had no idea that it would in fact be the last time he saw her for six months.

Six months passed in the same, usual, mundane way. One particular Wednesday was a blisteringly hot, summer day in Macon, Georgia, and Lee had taken shelter in a local museum with the children he had in his charge. Around thirty children walked behind him, hand-in-hand and in two straight rows as he talked.

"And this," He announced, pointing to a large display in the centre of the room, which held a huge cannon that was surrounded by civil war uniforms that were adorned by polystyrene dummies. "Is a cannon used at the First Battle of Lexington." Upon finishing his sentence, he turned to the class, and smiled kindly at them. "Okay guys. That finishes up our tour. So you've got an hour free time to go look at the other parts of the museum. And remember! Stay with your buddy!" He called, upon seeing the students almost immediately break away from each other, darting in all different directions excitedly.

A groan left him, along with a tired sigh, as he ran his hand over his face. Then, he slowly made his way over to a nearby bench, and simply sat tiredly. He didn't know how long he was sitting there for, staring at all of the different decorations and displays around the room, and relaxing. Every trip to the museum's Civil War Exhibit, he found, seemed to relax him beyond words. However, he couldn't seem to focus on what was around him. As much as he was seeing all of the different artefacts and relics, his mind was on one thing. Well—one _person_.

What he didn't know, was that the person he'd been thinking about non-stop for the past six months had walked into the room, a coffee in hand, as she hurriedly shuffled through the masses of documentation in her brown messenger bag. Long gone was the ice-blue dress she'd worn at the New Year's Party, only to be replaced by a fitted, black business Blazer and pencil skirt, which laid over a crisp, ivory blouse.

It was almost comical how the next few moments played out. In their individual stupors, neither noticed the others' presence; so thus when Lee stood suddenly from the bench and turned, making as if to walk around and out of the door, he walked straight into the woman in question, sending her various papers everywhere, scattering the floor, along with her coffee.

"Oh shi-" Lee exclaimed, immediately dropping to the floor, in an attempt to right the mistake he'd made. His hands grasped clumsily at the papers that were now scattered across the floor; all the while stammering out apologies to the woman he'd ran into. However, when he looked up to hand her papers he'd gathered, he stopped short.

It was her. The girl from New Years; the girl he'd not been able to stop thinking about since the day they'd met. "Holy Sh- Carley…?"

The woman smiled shyly, blushing beet-red, and reaching out, her hand grasping the papers gently. "… Well, well, well…" She muttered shyly, with a hint of amusement clearly in her voice. "If it isn't Forrest Gump… Running off with your friends as the ball dropped, and leaving a girl hanging." She smirked, evidently only joking.

However, Lee was immediately on his feet, blushing brightly, and looking around them, as if to check if anyone had seen them; like it was bad for two legal adults to meet in a public place. Anyone else may have found his edgy, nervous mannerism to be a little childish; and by extent a huge turn-off. But Carley… Carley couldn't quite believe it herself how cute she found it.

"I… Uh…" He muttered, slowly standing so he was a foot taller than her, his chest level with her head, and his hand still gently clutching the papers in his hand. Once he realized that he was, indeed, still holding onto the documents, he quickly let go, his hand moving up to rub the back of his neck nervously and awkwardly. "I… I'm sorry I ran off. My brother didn't realize we were… Well…" He muttered, gesturing between the two of them with his free hand; the entirety of his face and neck now being deep red.

The woman in front of him simply smirked even more, taking the papers, and gently slipping them into her messenger bag. Then, while she was in there, she took out a small notepad and pen; quickly jotting something down, before ripping it off, and pressing the piece of paper into the man's hand.

"Listen;" She said kindly, a smile still on her face, as she squeezed his hand almost lovingly. "I can't really stick around here. So… If you want to find out what would've happened at New Year's… Give me a call, yeah?" She bit her lip, before finally bucking up the courage to lean up (on her tip-toes no less), and press a chaste, gentle kiss to the man's cheek. A blush coloured her own face, as she pulled away, and gave his hand one last gentle squeeze, before turning, and making her way out of the room.

She was fully aware of Lee Everett's eyes on her retreating form, and smirked to herself. This was a guy she could see herself actually getting along with for once.

Sure enough, within days, Lee had called her, and they had organized to meet at the weekend. And, before either of them could comprehend, he was walking up the gravel path to her apartment, a bunch long-stem, Red Roses in-hand. He was dressed in a pair of light blue jeans, a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black skinny-tie, underneath a grey sleeveless jacket.

When he reached the front door, he took a long, deep breath; reaching up to adjust his tie with a shaky, nervous hand. Then, without another moment's hesitation, he pressed the buzzer to her apartment. After what seemed like an excruciatingly long wait, which in reality only lasted mere minutes, Carley's voice sounded; filled with static over the speakers. _"Hello?"_

"H-hey, Carley!" Lee replied, coughing slightly to clear his throat. He was so nervous, and he had no clue why. She wasn't the first girl he'd dated. Hell, he'd dated more girls than he was able to count. But something about her made him want to not screw anything up. "It's Lee!"

 _"Oh hey, Lee!"_ Carley's voice sounded, crackling slightly through the intercom, but still distinctly hers. _"Come on in! I'm just finishing up getting dressed!"_

A buzzer sounded, and Lee pulled the front door open, stepping into the apartment block nervously. He navigated the dingy hallways, eventually finding door 2.20 (Carley's apartment), and knocking gently. A shuffling from inside caused him to take a step back, and almost immediately the door was opened, revealing a young woman he'd never met before.

"So you're Lee?" She asked, leaning against the doorway with a frown on her face, crossing her arms across her chest. She was a lot taller than Carley, and of a completely different build. Where Carley was small and petite, this girl was tall and athletic. Her skin was smooth, and slightly sunburnt. Over her shoulder, he could see what he could only assume was the mystery girl's bicycle, as she was still wearing her Jersey and Shorts. Blond hair was tied back loosely into a ponytail, and blue eyes almost bored holes into him as they scanned him, seemingly an attempt to assess him. "Carley said you were tall…"

"Amanda!" Carley cried from behind the woman, appearing from out of one of the rooms (which he assumed was her bedroom). She hurried up to the woman, grabbing her jacket from over the back of the chair, along with a small, black purse. She was wearing a green dress, not unlike the one she'd worn for the New Year's Party, and a pair of black heels. "Jesus, will you back off him?! He's okay! No need for the third degree!"

The girl, Amanda, looked down at Carley as the smaller woman passed by, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Hey, I'm only watching out for you. I barely know this guy." She replied, shrugging her shoulders with an almost cocky smirk. "Hell, **_you_** barely know this guy."

Carley simply rolled her eyes, smiling lightly at her date, taking his hand and starting down the hallway. She didn't even look back at her roommate when she said. "Don't wait up!"

Once they were outside, and on their way out of the apartment complex, she turned to Lee and frowned slightly, almost apologetically, as she let go of his hand. "Lee, I am so, _so_ sorry about Amanda." She said, almost pleadingly. "I swear to you that she's not normally that bad. It's just that you're a guy she's never met before, and you're tall and stuff and—"

"Hey, hey, whoa," The man laughed, shaking his head and gently moving his hand up to squeeze her bicep supportively. "It's cool. I promise. You're eighteen; and I'm a random twenty-year-old guy you met at a party. I can understand that she's a little sceptical about me and my intentions."

It seemed that she appreciated the sentiment, as a smile spread on her face, and she nodded slightly. "Okay… If you're sure about it…" She replied. After a moment's silence, she gulped, and turned back to face the direction they were walking. "So… If you don't mind me asking… What's the plan for tonight?"

A knowing smirk formed on Lee's face, before he bit down on his lip cockily. The action caused a soft scraping noise to come from his stubble, before he spoke again. "Well," He started playfully, cocking an eyebrow. "I've organised something special with one of my friends. And that's all I'm telling you for now."

Sure enough, it was indeed special. Upon them reaching the University campus, a blindfold was tied over Carley's eyes. She could only laugh as he guided her around campus, his hands firmly on her shoulders in a backwards game of 'Blind Man's Bluff'.

When they finally reached their destination, he slowly shuffled her into a large, dark room. Once he'd closed the door, he flipped a switch on the wall, and a light from the middle of the room booted up, projecting stars up onto the ceiling.

"Okay…" He whispered, gently walking up behind her, and starting to untie the blindfold she'd been wearing. "Close your eyes… And open 'em in three… two… Now…" He let the blindfold drop, and set his hands on her shoulder again, a soft smile written clearly on his face.

A gasp left Carley, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. On the stage, where a professor usually gave lectures, was a picnic basket, laid out on a red and white gingham blanket. Soft music played over the speakers littered around the Planetarium. Where it was usually space-like music, with a man speaking over top of it, it was the soft sounds of an acoustic guitar, and a man singing gently over top.

"Oh my god… Lee, this is… wow…" She said softly, taking a few steps in, and slowly starting up towards the picnic blanket. The man followed after her, his hands stuffed into his pockets. When she reached the blanket, he smiled, extending a hand to help her sit down, before plopping down beside her. "Lee, this is amazing… How did you spring this?"

"Well," He smirked, opening up the basket and pulling out a small box, which contained two Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. He opened them up, before reaching back inside, and pulling out another box, containing two juice boxes and two chocolate brownies. "I told one of my friends I'd help him with his History assignments if he set it up for me. And, well, he agreed."

A smile broke out on Carley's face, as Lee extended the box containing sandwiches in her direction. However, a quick inspection of said sandwiches had her smile falling. "Oh… Lee, I… I'm so sorry but I can't eat those…" A questioning look followed her words, prompting her to explain, almost in embarrassment. "I… Well, I'm allergic to peanuts…"

Her eyes diverted from his, moving to stare at her feet. Then, a moment later, another box was extended. Her brow furrowed, and she sent him a questioning expression right back. "I forgot to ask if you had any allergies on the phone. So… I made spare, just in case… Ham, Cheese and Mayo sound good to you?"

At his words, Carley's heart seemed to almost inflate to twice its usual size. She reached out and took one of the sandwiches, a grateful smile on her face. Every other date she'd been on; none of the guys had been so considerate. Even at restaurants, they had rolled their eyes when she'd asked their waitress which menu items were 'safe' for her to eat, because of her allergy restrictions. So to have Lee go out of his way to make extra, just in case? She truly did appreciate it. "Thank you, Lee… That's really thoughtful…"

"No problem at all, Carley…"

An hour later saw them laughing at a joke, a glass of wine in Carley's hand as she sat, hugging her knees; her shoes slung off to the side, alongside Lee's larger sneakers. Lee was lazing on his side, facing her with a soda in-hand, while propped up on his elbow.

"You're serious?!" Carley exclaimed in disbelief, her hand coming to rest on her chest as she laughed. "Flour all over your face?!"

"Yep," Lee smirked, laughing along with her, and sitting up slowly. He scooted back to sit beside her, and took a sup of his soda. "That's what I get though, huh? Shouldn't have told Brad I'd filled the goddamned thing, should I?"

Carley couldn't help but smile softly at the man beside her. She'd been so nervous about this, and she now had no idea why. He'd been a perfect gentleman for the entire duration of their date. He'd opened doors for her without the sole purpose of ogling her backside; given her his jacket when she'd gotten cold, and even provided extra sandwiches in case she didn't like or couldn't eat PB and J.

So when they eventually walked back to her apartment, and stood opposite each other outside of the entrance door, she did something she'd never done before. Upon giving him his jacket back, she bit her lip nervously, glancing down, before leaning up on her tiptoes, and pressing a gentle kiss to the man's lips. It was a goodnight kiss that was purer and more innocent than any other she'd given or shared. Lee's hand never strayed from where it was resting on her waist, and his body seemed to soften, lowering so she didn't have to stretch up so much. Never had she kissed a guy on the first date; but Lee? Lee felt right. She didn't have to be a psychic or soothsayer to see that she would definitely be going out with him again; if he asked her that is. "Thank you, Lee… This has been… amazing."

The man simply smiled at her for a moment, shrugging on his jacket, and stuffing his hands in his hoodie-pockets. "It's no problem, Carley. Really, it's been great." A moment of comfortable silence passed, before Lee spoke, almost nervously, once again. His eyes rose to meet hers, and a loving smile formed on his face. "Am… Well, am I okay to call you again? Do this again sometime?"

Carley had never been more sure about anything she'd ever said yes to, than when she said yes to that question.


	2. Chapter 2 - Trouble In Paradise

**For Those You Love (REDUX)**  
 **Chapter 2 – Trouble in Paradise**

 **A/N –** _So, hi there! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Yeah; I know. But hey, what are you going to do? It's been a rough couple of months, but I wanted to get this out before Christmas! So, count this as your Christmas present, guys!_

 _Also, there is a SLIGHT smutty section in this chapter, towards the end. You'll know when it's coming. But when it does, and if y'all want to read it, please listen to May I by Trading Yesterday while reading. I feel it REALLY sets the mood!_

 _HOPEFULLY It won't take too long to update now. So please, pop a review in for me? It REALLY helps. And, the more reviews; the more I update!_

* * *

Of all the ways Lee had expected their date to go; this was not it.

He was standing outside of Carley's apartment, trying his damned hardest to buck up the courage to knock on her door. In the hand that wasn't balled loosely by his side, he held a bunch of long-stemmed Red Roses, with Baby-Pink Chrysanthemums, and bright White Lilies. Those flowers were her favorite; that much he knew. After four months of dating, he'd learned that much at least. That, and the way to her heart was coffee and chocolate; so he hoped to god the nut-free coffee chocolates were enough to get him back into her good books.

However, the longer he stood by her door; the harder it became to bring himself to knock. No matter how hard he tried, he could not will himself to move his hand the two centimeters needed to make a noise on the dark wood of the door.

After almost five minutes of deliberation, and desperate attempts, the man just sighed, turning around and leaning against the door in complete frustration. He thumped the back of his head against the wood in anger, letting out a deep sigh.

How the _**hell**_ had they come to this…?

* * *

"Lee Jackson Everett, I swear to god, you are dead whenever you decide to pick up your phone!" Carley fumed, pacing her living room with her cell phone in hand. She'd been doing this for over forty-five minutes, and by now she was bordering on wrathful.

At first it had been only slight worry. Pretty much every date they'd been on in the four months they'd been together; which had taken place literally every Saturday; he'd been slightly late. Those times, it had only been ten minutes; thirty at most. But now it had reached the one hour mark, and that's when Carley started to worry. One became two, and two became three. And then, before she knew it, three and a half hours had passed. By then, she was genuinely scared for the man she was slowly falling for. But now, after three and a half hours with no inkling of a phone call or apology whatsoever? She wasn't.

She was infuriated.

It was bordering on four hours when she finally decided to pick up her own cell phone, and dial his number, still pacing back and forth. The dinner she'd prepared was long forgotten, now simultaneously bone-dry and burnt from being in the oven for so long, and ice cold as a result of being left out in the open air.

"Lee, I swear to god, you are so far out of line right now, you've almost looped back on yourself!" She hissed, her voice coming out harsh and angry. She wasn't as angry as her words sounded; but more hurt than anything else. "You'd better have a damn good apology, or don't even bother to come over. Understand? As far as I'm concerned; we're through!"

And with that, she slammed down her cell-phone screen, and growled to herself, launching the gadget across onto the sofa, resulting in a soft thud. Then, after a short while, she let out a breath. At first, it could have passed as sigh coming from her; but a moment later her resolve fell. A hand travelled up from her side, cupping itself over her mouth and nose, as a soft sob left her. Her eyes closed, and she sank down onto the chair beside her, the hand that wasn't over her mouth coming to run through her hair in distress.

She had thought he was different. But she'd been proven wrong.

"Whoa," A voice sounded; seeming to be almost foreign and muffled to Carley, before a pair of arms wrapped around her firmly, pulling her close to their chest. Amanda's hands immediately started a soothing motion, rubbing her friend's shoulder and resting her chin on Carley's head in an attempt to comfort her. "Hey… What's wrong, Car…? Huh…? What's happened…?"

However, upon following Carley's sideways gesture in response to her question, no more needed to be said. A sigh left the blonde, and she simply cradled her best friend closer. "He's an asswipe…" She muttered into her hair, almost as an older sister may comfort a younger sibling. "He doesn't deserve you, Carley… I told you he wouldn't be anything but trouble… I told you he'd hurt you…"

Carley just sobbed into her friend, shaking her head angrily. She was upset, that much was evident. But that was not why she was crying. She was furious at the way Lee had given her no reason to doubt him. She'd trusted him wholeheartedly; so much so that she was even thinking of going that step further with him; giving herself to him as fully as she could; something she would never think of doing so soon in a relationship. But that just proved how strong her feelings for him were.

She'd planned a romantic meal for two; which had consisted of shrimp cocktail as a starter, Steak with a Chilli and Lime Sauce, served with Veg, and she'd even sprung for a chocolate cake as a dessert. But now all that was a waste. The salad she was to serve with the shrimp had gone brown from being set out for so long, and the steak had dried up in its sauce, which had dried up into a tar almost.

After what seemed like an eternity, her sobs softened to hiccups, and she sniffed, standing slowly and shakily. Carley tentatively walked towards their kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a square, pink box, which had been tied up with string. "Y-you… You might as well take this to work…" She muttered, walking back through to Amanda and extending the box. "I'm sure the other nurses'll appreciate a little pick-me-up…"

Amanda sighed, reaching out and taking the box from her friend gently. Her hands dropped to her lap, balancing the box lightly, as she looked at the shorter woman in sympathy. "You sure…? If you want me to I can keep you a slice back…?" However, almost as soon as she'd finished her sentence, the look she received made her backtrack. "Okay… I guess I'll set off then…"

It took five minutes for Amanda to get her bicycle around, and get dressed into her jersey and shorts; with her pannier strapped onto her back firmly. Then, once she'd made Carley give her word that she'd call her if she needed her, she set off on her bike, the chain clinking through the still evening air.

"Alright, jackasses!" Amanda grinned, walking onto the Nurses' Room with the cake-box in hand, and her bike helmed held firmly underneath her arm. Her language earned her a couple of glares, considering she was mere meters away from very sick children. She seemed completely oblivious, however, as she walked to her locker, and deposited her stuff, after sliding the box down onto the dining table in the centre of the room. "Seein' as my roommate's boyfriend was a complete _**douche**_ and stood her up on the night she was gonna shaft him, she let me give you guys the cake she'd bought in specially. Knock yourselves out."

It seemed that it was appreciated, as no sooner had she slid it down onto the table, the other nurses crowded around, knives and plates in-hand.

The woman just rolled her eyes, and waved over her shoulder as she walked out, onto the ward itself.

She made her way over to the nurse's Station, picking up various files that contained information of her usual patients, before the ward manager approached her, smiling warmly behind a pair of round, immaculately-cleaned glasses. The matron was a small, elderly woman, in her mid-sixties and only half of Amanda's height. She was as thin as a rake, and hunched over, her grey hair curled into a tight perm, and her blue eyes dulled by the pristine glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. "Amanda!" She called, handing over a set of papers with a sympathetic expression. "New patient for you, seeing as Mr. Hobbs was discharged this morning."

Amanda couldn't help the sad smile that formed on her face at the elderly woman's words, looking down at the papers that had been presented to her. Benjamin Hobbs had been admitted little over a month prior with Pneumonia. And upon admittance, Amanda had been assigned as his paediatric nurse, caring for him almost every day. She'd taken care of him when his mother took a break, playing video games and eating junk food, when the other nurses hadn't been watching. "Oh, I'm so happy Ben was discharged. Poor thing had been here for what seemed like years!" She grinned, unable to help the happiness that poured from her, nor the relief in her azure eyes.

She looked down at the new file, and smiled sadly. "Oh Jeez, kid's been through hell today, huh?" She remarked, her brow furrowing as she walked with the matron, towards the curtained bays. "Broken leg, collarbone, and ulna… Jeez, what were they doing to get banged up like this?" She mused. But the more she read, the more she understood. The girl had been involved in a Phys-Ed accident that morning, and had been rushed through to their hospital in an ambulance immediately afterwards. Her parents were out of town, so she'd turned up in the ER accompanied by her teacher, who was essentially responsible for any decisions that were to be made in urgent circumstances.

Amanda smiled at the elderly matron who'd accompanied her, before turning to face the cubicle that young Katie was resting in; stopping dead in her tracks.

There, fast asleep in the chair beside young Katie Watson's bed, was none other than Lee Jackson Everett. Amanda had never seen him look so old, or so exhausted. Even in his slumber he seemed to be tense. His brow was furrowed, and his entire stance was tense; his fists clenched and his muscles twitching every so often. Then, all of a sudden, realization hit her. This was why he hadn't turned up to Carley's date night. This was why he couldn't phone her; because he was technically still at work, and to use his phone in a hospital was against the rules, to boot.

Her heart tore in two at the situation she was presented with. On one hand, the two of them had never really seen eye-to-eye. Sure, he was nice enough, and he had tried to get along with her.

But Amanda (although she would never ever admit it) had never _**really**_ given him the chance. All she'd seen was a man encroaching on her and Carley's friendship, and that was something she could not bear to lose. After all, she'd been in that situation before; where her best friend had dropped her completely once she'd started seeing someone. And before she knew it, she was alone.

On the other hand? He made Carley happy. The pure adoration and devotion she'd seen every time they'd been around each other gave her no room to even question his feelings and intentions towards her best friend. None whatsoever. Just the way they acted; it was as if they'd known each other for years, but in reality it hadn't even been one year.

It was this thought that ran through her mind, as she slowly approached the bay, and entered; shutting the curtains behind her. "Katie; it's nice to meet you. My name is Amanda, and I'm going to be your nurse." She said softly to the little girl; who was looking almost exhausted as she lay in her hospital bed, her green eyes blinking in an attempt to stay awake. She seemed to wake up a little, however, at the sight of her nurse, and grunted in a little pain.

The noise coming from the child in his care had Lee jerking awake, grumbling something about 'not being asleep' as he rubbed at his eyes, moving his hand down to wipe at the dribble of drool on his chin; earning a soft scraping noise from the stubble that had grown throughout the day. He straightened in his chair; his hazy eyes opening slowly, and trying to focus on anything they could around him. At that moment in time, Amanda could see what Carley saw in him. He was cute in the sleepy state he was in; that much she would admit. But that expression she so admired was gone in an instant when he recognized the woman in the cubicle; his face paling. "O-oh sh-" He started, before cutting himself off. He had to remember where he was. After all, this little girl was in his care now. And it would be inappropriate for him to shoot his mouth off.

"Mr. Everett, if we could keep ourselves restrained; I would appreciate it." Amanda smiled, unable to help the amusement on her features as she watched him come to terms with the turn of events. She turned to the chart and sat down beside Katie; showing her all of her test results and explaining the murky, black-and-white image of her X-Ray, letting her hold it as she went into more detail; more for Lee's sake, so he would be able to fill in the parents when they arrived. However, they didn't have to wait long, as less than five minutes passed before a man and woman, aged between thirty-five and forty ran through the children's ward; coats flying and hair windswept; immediately all but pouncing on their daughter, and holding her tightly.

Amanda emerged five minutes later, smirking to herself, and flipping the notes into the girl's basket on the outside of the bay that was Katie's. And her smirk grew, when she heard footsteps behind her; no doubt within her mind that It was, in fact, her best friend's stupid boyfriend. "Amanda!" She heard, accompanied by a hand coming to clasp her bicep; spinning her around to face him. The woman was completely, 100% ready to laugh in his face, telling him that he'd fucked up royally with Carley. But one look at said face had her own falling and paling.

"I… I fucked up, Amanda…" Lee said; his voice soft and cracking. Never in the months that she'd known him had he looked so… so…. _**Defeated**_. That was the only word she could use to describe him. His hair was standing in all directions, even more so than normal. And his eyes… His eyes (although dark usually) were darker than ever; deep, sunken bags beneath them, showing the pure exhaustion he felt stood out starkly against his dark skin, making him look older and thinner than he actually was.

The woman's heart dropped.

Amanda sighed, looking over her shoulder, before making simultaneously the best and worst decision she'd ever made. Quickly, she took the man's hand, and led him to the Nurse's room, checking it was clear, before she pushed him inside, and made him sit down. This was met with an expression of utter confusion from Lee, but she didn't pay that any attention as she began to pace.

"Lee, you have a really small time slot here… Carley's literally like a coiled spring right now… Any little thing can trigger her off…" She muttered, continuing her pacing back and forth across the room, wringing her hands as she spoke. Her light blue hospital scrubs rustling as she walked, her hands now coming up to press against her pursed lips.

Then, without warning, the woman darted to her locker, quickly opening it and grabbing out her bike helmet; tossing it to him. Upon receiving an even more confused expression from Lee, she sighed, and once again walked over to him, pulling him up and all but pushing him towards the door. "Go get your girlfriend some flowers. Red Roses, and White Lilies are her favourites. And get your ass back to my apartment to bone your girlfriend." She said strongly, her jaw set, and her eyes showing no room for any arguments. When she saw the man's confused expression still lingering on his features, she gave him another shove in the back, causing him to stumble and almost drop her bike helmet.

"First;" She started, narrowing her eyes at his fumbling hands. "You drop my helmet, you're going to need a ride back here. Understand?"

A smirk formed at his paling, and his quickly nodding head, before she spoke again.

"Second…? Go get her, tiger. She's been waiting a long time for 'ya."

* * *

Lee was brought out of his mental-scolding by the sudden opening of the door behind him. The noise that left him was miniscule; a tiny squeak when in relation to his lanky, muscular stature. It was that, along with the man falling back similar to how a plank of wood would have done, that brought a snort of laughter from the woman. Almost immediately, her hand flew up to cover her mouth; attempting to conceal the amusement on her face.

After all, she _was_ supposed to be pissed at him. She couldn't let him think he was in the clear in any way, shape, or form.

Lee, upon realization of what happened, immediately sat up; attempting to stand as smoothly as possible, which didn't turn out as he originally intended. In the end, after what could only be described as _'Bambi Learning To Walk 2.0'_ , he reached out, and gripped the back of the sofa tightly in his hand, pulling himself up into a standing position. His left hand, still gripping onto the bouquet of flowers, slowly extended; and his face fell.

They were broken.

The flowers he'd spent so long debating over were snapped, bare, or complete mush in his hand; wilting more and more with each passing second. The look of complete sadness must have shown, as Carley let out a soft sigh, laying her hand on his arm gently, before moving it down to his hand, and taking the limp, broken stems from him gently.

"For what it's worth… What I saw of them… They were beautiful…" She offered, setting down the flowers, before turning back to him, a deep frown forming on her face. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her brow furrowed, as she leaned all of her weight over to one side. "But that doesn't mean you're in the clear, Everett… You left me high and dry. I meant what I said in those messages. If there's not a fucking good goddamn reason for it, then we're done. I'm not letting you fuck me around and waste my time like the other guys I've been with."

The cold, harshness of her voice cut into Lee like a knife; causing him to flinch with each word to leave her mouth. His hand clenched by his side, as he stared down at her carpet; concentrating on the medium blue flooring in an attempt to calm his ever increasing nerves. This next ten minutes could very well change his life. He could very easily lose her if he said the wrong thing, if he chose the wrong words to stammer out in response. So, after a moment of thought, he spoke; his voice low and hoarse.

"… I was at work…" He muttered, his eyes slowly moving up to stare into hers. Brown met green, and before he knew it, the words were coming out easily; as he still tried to show her through his gaze alone just how sorry he truly was. "There was an accident at football practice… I was coaching the new kids, and… well… A little girl got into an accident. One of the other kids rammed into her with a training pad and she fucking—she skidded about ten feet."

"I had to stay with her." He continued, now slowly taking a step forward, and gently reaching out, taking her bicep into his hand. All the while he kept up the eye contact, watching as her defences fell, and forgiveness started forming, ever so slowly. "Ask Amanda. She saw me in the hospital with the kid. I'd been there for six hours… Then she gave me her bike key and helmet and… well, she told me to get my ass up here and fuck you senseless…"

His final words had her eyebrows shooting into her hair, as shock filled her features; before a blush coloured her cheeks, making her turn a deep shade of red. But he didn't care. The man kept going, his voice cracking now out of pure nerves. "And, Goddamn it, Carley… I was so fucking scared to come here… I hate that I let you down. And I hate that I made you cry. And that's… That's because I love you."

He finished his speech, his chest rising and falling with each breath; having emotionally exhausted himself on his tirade. He stood across from her, his jaw tensing slightly, and his eyes boring into hers. He just hoped to god that she'd forgive him. Because everything he'd said was true. He'd never known love like it, until he'd looked at Carley all those months back. The stammering, blushing mess he'd become at the New Year's Party had been telling him all he'd needed to know; though he was unaware at the time. This girl, standing before him wearing nothing more than a pair of pyjamas, was the girl he was destined to spend his life with; To spend his life protecting and being protected by; To spend his life loving her and making their own journey together.

It happened quickly, then. Carley moved forward, closing the small gap that was between them, and throwing her arms around his neck; her lips crashing to his in the most intense, passionate, yet loving kiss they'd ever shared together. Lee's hands slowly moved up to wrap around her waist, as he kissed her back, his lips fighting against hers with pure adoration and love pouring out of him. It was almost a natural response for him to slowly hoist her up, with her legs slowly coming to wrap around his waist; her slender fingers knotting in his messy black hair.

It was after what felt like an eternity that they pulled away from each other, breathing heavy and red in the face, but remaining in their standing position, with Lee's arms hooked under Carley's backside to hold her up against him. Brown eyes met emerald eyes; both glistening in a mixture of love and lust, as their foreheads slowly leaned in to meet between them. "I love you too, Lee… More than you'll ever know…" She muttered softly, her hands moving down from his hair, to rest flat against his shoulders. Normally, she'd avoid 'mushy' stuff as she so called it. But this man… he was different. He loved Carley for her. Not for the person he wanted her to be. He embraced her independence; her stubbornness, and her work ethic. And, rather than wanting her to change; become the 'little wife' she'd seen more girls become than she liked to admit, he encouraged her to pursue her career, and do whatever she could to achieve her dream of becoming a news anchor.

"I'm sorry… About tonight…" Lee eventually muttered, his voice low and husky, purely from the position they were still in, coupled with their small, impromptu make out session. His eyes scanned the apartment, and guilt flooded through him yet again. Candles were laid out, fully burnt out and cold, along with the wine bottle that had been uncorked, with two glasses beside it; one being half-full of the deep red liquid. "Looks like it'd have been a really nice night… You went full-on romance…"

"You think this is bad; wait 'til you see the bedroom." Carley responded, the usual sarcastic tone to her voice. She was completely oblivious to her double-entendre until her boyfriend smirked and let out a small snort; resulting in an expression of mock-annoyance forming on her face. She slapped his shoulder playfully, before her mouth slowly formed into a smirk, biting down on her lip slightly, and gesturing with her eyes to the room in question. "Well… I know it's a little late… But we could always… Y'know… Try to save the night, if you wanted to…?"

At these words, Lee almost dropped her. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened in pure shock, as he attempted to mull over what she was suggesting. This could very well be the night they consummated their relationship, and he was fully aware of that fact. It had literally been months for him since he'd been intimate in any way, shape, or form. But, on the other hand, he wanted her to be absolutely sure about things when they did eventually take that step. So, in response, he gulped, and cocked an eyebrow at her, before speaking. "We… Are you sure…? You know we don't ha—"

His words were cut off by a small squeak coming from the man, as Carley's hand had slowly tangled in the hair at the base of his neck, and her hips slowly moved against his, silently giving her the response he had needed. "… Shut up, Lee… I want you…" Then, slowly, she leaned in; muttering those six, simple words, before her kissing resumed. This time, though, it was more passionate; needy, and heated.

It wasn't long before things progressed, with buttons beginning to get undone, and zippers being pulled down, as Lee slowly walked them towards Carley's room, kicking the door shut behind them, and moving her to the bed, all but falling down onto it, with him propped up by the heels of his hands to hover over her, never breaking the kiss. Their make out continued, with Lee's hands slowly moving north-bound, eventually coming to rest on her breast, cupping gently, before he began to gently knead. This, it seemed, only heightened Carley's mood; as her kissing became more intense, and was coupled with a low moan, pulling him tighter to her. They'd done this type of thing previously; getting so far as to share baths and showers together, and share heated kissing sessions, so seeing each other naked, or feeling each other's bodies weren't foreign.

Things continued slowly between them, eventually moving so they were fully on the bed, with their naked forms in-line, and resting together intimately, their kissing still not abating for a second. "… It's not too late to say no…" The man muttered quietly into her ear, as he moved his hips against hers slowly, sensually. This, in turn earned a small smile from the woman, who pulled his head away to stare into his eyes lovingly, and shook her head.

"Lee, I love you… Please… I want this…" She replied, her fingers now stroking the back of his neck, which sent shivers down Lee's neck, and he leaned their foreheads together once again, before slowly uniting them, a groan leaving him at the feeling. Their skins were slick with sweat already; heated with pure passion and drive to make this as special as they could for the other. So once Carley had adjusted, and had nodded slightly against his forehead, he kissed her gently, starting to move his hips gently, as if he were terrified to hurt or break her.

Of all the men Carley had been with in her life (which wasn't many, compared to her friends), none had been so considerate of her comfort as Lee had been. None of them had made sure to double check once they'd finally reached the point of no return. She knew it was unfair to compare them. After all, they were different men. No two guys would be exactly the same, and she knew there was things that Lee did that she'd find that she didn't like. But the difference that she noted to herself, that she couldn't ignore was one, huge thing. And that thing was that those other guys… they weren't Lee Everett.

They weren't the guy who went out of his way to help people, no matter his own wants or needs. They weren't the man who stayed with a child who wasn't his for six hours, going completely unpaid for doing so, too. So as she laid there, with the man she loved more than anyone hovering over her; making love for the first time as a couple, she couldn't believe the contentment and pure adoration that flowed through her. Her legs hooked up over his hips, and she kissed him gently, more a quick peck than anything else. "G-god, I love you…" She managed to gasp out, her cheeks flushed with arousal and warmth.

It was a good ten minutes later that they both collapsed, panting and smiling in pure satisfaction; messy haired and exhausted. Lee rolled over onto his side, and pulled her naked form to his chest, so he was spooning her from behind, not bothering to put any pants, his arm falling over hers, and taking her small, dainty hand in his large, rough ones. "That… That was amazing, Car…" He muttered softly, kissing the back of her head lovingly, and keeping her firmly against his chest. "I love you so much… So fucking much…"

"I love you too, Lee… Always will…"

* * *

When Amanda returned early in the morning, she stood shocked at the state of her apartment, her mouth hanging open in pure shock, and her eyes widening. "Holy shit, guys…" She said softly, walking into their living area, and stepping over what she could assume were Lee's pants, as they were far too big to be Carley's. That, and she saw her bike locked up in the shelter; safe and sound, and exactly how Lee had promised.

Yawning, she walked into the kitchen nook, and flicked the coffee maker on, inhaling the aroma of freshly brewed coffee that suddenly filled the room with a contented sigh. Last night's shift had been rough; losing two children in the aftermath of a car accident, and having to inform their parents, whilst trying to juggle a whole manner of different things meant she was exhausted.

However, it made it all worth the stress, when Carley crept out of her room (which had a tie hanging on the doorknob), dressed in Lee Jackson Everett's t-shirt and a pair of large men's boxers that had been dubbed her 'post bang shorts'. A smirk passed between the two friends, and they fell into a comfortable silence as the coffee brewed. Within minutes, they were both sitting with steaming mugs in-hand, and mulling over the nights events.

"So… How'd it go with lover boy…?" Amanda eventually asked, looking at her best friend with a cocked eyebrow and an amused expression written clearly on her face. The blush that coloured Carley's cheeks was enough for her to know exactly what had gone on, and a smirk of satisfaction formed on Amanda's face.

"We… Uh… Well, I guess you could say we saved the night…" Carley answered quietly, looking down into her mug as if she was talking to her coffee, rather than her roommate. "It was fun…"

Amanda couldn't stop her smirk from growing at her friend's embarrassment. Nor at the fact that Lee slowly crept out of Carley's room wearing his boxers, and nothing else; looking decidedly ruffled, and flushed; his skin peppered with hickeys, and a dopey grin on his face.

"God…" She said lowly, looking over the two lovers in exasperation, before continuing. "You two finally got your heads out of your asses for long enough to talk, it seems."

Lee and Carley couldn't really help the look that formed on both of their faces, as they looked at each other; almost communicating using thought alone. Their conversation was interrupted, however, by Amanda's next words; making all three of them burst out laughing, as they got around to start their day; eating breakfast together for the first time.

" _I guess I really am the third wheel now."_


	3. Chapter 3 - Meet The Parents

**For Those You Love - REDUX  
Chapter 3 – Meet The Parents**

The next months passed quickly after they consummated their relationship, almost too fast for their liking. Dates came and went, and eventually the young couple fell into a routine, staying at either of their apartments each night; having clothes and toothbrushes stored in case. However, it was four months later when things really came to a head; with Carley coming out of the bedroom and biting her lip, watching Lee work on grading his class' tests. She so loved how passionate he was about teaching, and hated that the next few minutes would probably mean that he wouldn't be able to do the work he adored. He would panic; that much she knew. But she couldn't keep this from him at all. Not after everything he'd told her; how honest he'd been about his teenage life. The things he'd done had been horrible, but he'd told her; trusting her to not judge him based on them; and solely on the person he'd become.

But now it was her turn to do the truth-telling.

 _"Okay, Palmer… Calm down… Deep breath… And rip off the Band-Aid…"_ She mentally soothed, her eyes still glued to her boyfriend, as she fought off the urge to hyperventilate. And, before she knew it, she was striding forward, her hands stuffed into the pocket of her jeans in pure nerves. "L-Lee? Honey, can I talk to you for a minute…? It's kinda something important…"

The man's brow furrowed for a moment as her voice registered; his eyes never leaving the papers in front of him whilst he answered her, almost indifferently. "Yeah, sure, hon'. Go right ahead." He mumbled, almost as if he wasn't entirely aware that he was speaking, that he knew exactly what she had said to him, as he slowly flicked the papers in front of him, which were laid out on his coffee table.

Work had been hectic for him, she noted, and she could understand why he'd been so distant for the past two months. The elementary school had been working him to Hell and back, ever since the hospital incident. His boss seemed to blame him; despite Katie's parents not wanting to pursue an investigation into the accident.

"No, honey—" She said, shaking herself out of the slight reverie she'd found herself wandering into, whilst slowly moving around the sofa, and sitting down beside him, reaching out with her hand and setting it on his arm. "Honey, this… This is important. I need you to look at me, just for a little while…" She said softly. The seriousness of her voice seemed to get through to him, as Lee's eyes immediately shot up from his paperwork, and across to her with a concerned expression.

"Carley…" He said lowly, his voice now filled with concern. His hands set down the marking scheme and pen that had previously vacated them, before he pulled her hands into his and squeezed lovingly and supportively. Something about the way she was speaking set the man on edge, and he knew whatever was about to come from her mouth was bad news. "Carley what's wrong…?"

The woman, however, seemed to be dumbstruck. She'd been filled to the brim with adrenaline and nerves not even five minutes ago. So why, now, was she speechless? Never in her life had Carley Palmer been lost for words. But here she was, completely stuck as to what she should say to the man before her; how she should break the news that could probably be make or break for them. But, goddamn, she knew she had to get it out somehow. The last week had been hell for her, mulling over what she suspected more and more with each passing day, until she was almost sure of said suspicion.

So, after a while of deliberation, during which Lee seemed to become more and more tense with each passing second, Carley decided to rip off the metaphorical Band-Aid and just outright say it.

"I think I'm _pregnant_ , Lee."

* * *

How did that happen? For that, they'd have to go back two months prior, to the night that Carley's parents invited Lee over to dinner.

"Lee, honey, c'mon." Carley chuckled in the passenger seat of the man's car, watching as he fixed his hair for the tenth time in five minutes. An amused smile was spread across her features, and she couldn't help the low sigh that left her in exasperation. "They've already heard so much about you. And they've seen the photo I have of us in my apartment. Your hair isn't exactly styled like a choir-boy in that. If you keep messing with your hair, they'll think you're a different guy." A dainty hand slowly extended, settling on his forearm, before she leaned across and pressed a small, loving kiss to his cheek. "They're going to love you, Lee. I do, so they will, too."

The man in question had turned at the feel of her hand, away from the rear-view mirror and around to look at her eyes. His larger hand set over hers gently, and gave it a small, loving squeeze, as his thumb trailed over her knuckles. "Okay… Okay… I just… Fuck, Carley, I want this to go right." He said softly, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke. "I know it's stupid… And I know it's not entirely logical, but… fuck, Carley; I love you. And I want to be the kind of guy who you can be proud to say is your boyfriend." He admitted, now blushing slightly at his admission. "How's it going to look to your parents, huh? I'm a teacher who allowed a kid to break her collarbone while she was in my care. And then I stood their daughter up on a date she'd been planning for weeks."

"Just be sure to leave out the whole 'letting you shaft me' part, and you guys'll get on like a house on fire. Now c'mere, teacher-boy. I need a smooch." Carley said softly, a smile pulling at her lips. Before he could speak again, she reached out, and cupped his face in her hands, pulling him in for a kiss; her lips crushing against his passionately. Her fingers tangled in Lee's hair, and she groaned slightly into the kiss, before pulling away only slightly, and pressing her forehead against hers. "Now… How about we go out there, and we face my parents with everything we got…? And then afterwards we can go back to your place and crack open that bottle of wine we've been saving?"

"You have never sounded sexier to me, Ms. Palmer…" The man grinned, a playful expression written clearly across his face.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Lee and Carley drove into the Palmers' driveway, seeming to be more relaxed than when they'd set off. And five minutes later, Lee was mentally scolding himself for being so stupid in worrying about the meeting.

It was a modest house, with two floors, and a rather generous yard out front. On one side, a Garage had been built, and a range rover was parked just outside of it; sparkling in the setting sun. There was a long gravel path leading up to the porch, which housed a swing-seat, and a small table, with a chessboard nestled on top.

Carley's mother, Jennifer greeted them at the door, immediately pulling her daughter in for a tight hug. This action was what made Lee see just how alike Carley and her mother were; most notably their eyes. Carley's mother was a small woman, in her mid-forties, with light brown hair that was pulled back into a tight bun. Just looking at them, he would have thought them to be sisters, had he not seen the grey that was speckling her hair, or the way Jennifer's deep blue eyes sparkled with pure maternal love as soon as she'd set eyes on her daughter.

Eventually, the two of them broke apart, and the woman turned to Lee with a smile on her face. "Oh, where are my manners? This young man must be the infamous Lee we've heard so much about!" She exclaimed, glancing only briefly at her daughter, before walking forward and wrapping the man in question in the tightest hug he'd ever received. It was only moments later that she pulled back from him at her daughter's chuckling, and gently smoothed down Lee's sleeves, where they'd rumpled up. "It's so nice to meet you, Lee. I'm sorry that we weren't able to do this sooner, but David and I have **_just_** got back from visiting relatives in England."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Palmer." Lee nodded in response, a nervous smile forming slowly on his face, as he looked down to the two women. He felt as if he dwarfed the two women in front of him with his 6'2" height, and attempted to slouch a little, to make sure he didn't seem to be intimidating.

Carley noticed him slouch slightly, and turned to her mom, a smile forming. "Why don't we go inside, mom? I'm sure dad's itching for a little masculine company around the place!" She suggested with a chuckle, slowly walking over to take Lee's hand; her left in his right, and her other hand moving to rest on his forearm. It seemed that Jennifer had almost forgotten that they were standing on the front porch, still, and immediately gestured the couple inside, smiling. Once her mom excused herself and had taken their coats, Carley turned back to Lee, cocking an eyebrow. "Hey… Lee, there's no need to be nervous. My mom already loves you… Okay? Just stay calm." She soothed, before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Carley? Is that you? Come through here and see your old man! I'm just getting my torture equipment set up!" A masculine voice called from the room beside them, evidently only joking by the tone of his voice. The woman chuckled, glancing once more at her boyfriend, and pressing one more peck to his cheek, before answering; amusement in her voice.

"Dad, if you keep making jokes like that you'll have a Lee shaped hole in the door!" She called back, as they slowly walked into the living room. The room itself was quaint, with a pair of two-seater sofas arranged at a right-angle with the wall. It was notably lacking any torture equipment (Lee observed with a sigh of relief), and the complete image of an average, middle-class living room. The walls were a pale cream-yellow, and the carpet a mild brown. The sofa, he noted, was only slightly darker in colour than the walls, and the pillows that were scattered on them were the same brown as the carpet.

Carley's Father, David, looked up at the couple as they walked in, grinning widely and slowly walking over to his daughter, his much taller frame dwarfing her in the same way Lee's would, as he buried her in a bear-hug. "Hey there, honey… I missed you." He muttered softly, running his hand over her back, before pulling back only slightly, his arm still around his daughter protectively.

"I missed you, too, Dad… You have to tell me everything about the trip." Carley grinned up at her dad, smoothing down his tie gently, and then pulling away, reaching out to pull over the other man, who seemed to be looking and feeling more and more awkward by the moment. "Dad, this is my boyfriend; Lee."

David forced a smile towards the younger man, reaching out and clasping Lee's hand, giving it a firm, albeit strained nod as he did. Now, it wasn't that David Palmer disliked his daughter's boyfriend. In fact, it was completely the opposite. From what Carley had told both himself and his wife, Lee Everett was the complete ideal son-in-law. And that was, in fact, the reason for his coldness. Just one look at the young man in front of him made David bristle, as he knew that eventually, he would lose his little girl; and he very much so believed that the man in front of him would be who he lost her to. His daughter loved this man with every fibre of her being; and although she didn't know it yet, David could.

"It's… It's nice to meet you, young man." He nodded, another forced smile coming out as he released his hand, which once again lowered to slide into his pocket. "Jennifer and I have heard so much about you. Carley here can't go thirty minutes without mentioning the infamous Lee."

A blush coloured the younger man's face, and he lowered his eyes, embarrassed to think that Carley thought so highly of him. And it seemed that Carley understood said embarrassment, and reached over, to set her hand on his arm. "Tell you what… I'll leave you guys to have a little masculine bonding time, and I'll go help mom finish dinner."

"Car, no offense, but we want to enjoy this meal, and your most adventurous meal you've made is steak. Best leave it to your mom." Lee muttered, unable to stop the words from coming out of his mouth in response. His blush suddenly drained, and he looked up to see his girlfriend's shocked, fake-offended expression, which preceded a gentle slap to the arm.

"Oh please! I'll show you, Everett! This is going to the best meal you've ever eaten!" She smirked, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek, before turning, and leaving the room; a pale and nervous Lee being left in her wake.

A long moment of silence passed, before Lee could even dare to look up at David. What the hell would he see? Would he be red with pure rage? Would he be glaring at him now? He was not prepared for the reality, at all.

There, standing before him, was his 'father-in-law', who was beet red, and trying his damned hardest to keep his laughter as quiet as possible, so his daughter and wife wouldn't hear him. A moment later, he couldn't help the bark that left him, as he shook his head. "Y'know, Lee," He started, as he walked through to their liquor cabinet, and grabbed out a bottle of scotch, along with two glasses. "The first time Carley came home and told us about you, I knew you were a good guy. I guess I just got scared about losing my baby." He continued softly, swirling the amber liquid in his glass slowly, before taking a slip. "You'll understand if you're lucky enough to have a daughter one day. You promise yourself that you'll never let anyone hurt them; that you'll be the only man they'll need."

"But then one day they come home and start talking about some guy; and you realize that… well, you aren't the only guy they need… Not anymore, at least. And when she started talking about you… I could tell you were different to the other guys she'd dated." David said softly, steeling himself. He'd never had this talk with any of Carley's boyfriends; so to be sitting with a boy he'd just met after six months of them dating was surreal. "You don't belittle her for the sake of being mean. I mean, I know you just joked about her cooking. Let's face it, though; we all do it. She can't cook. But… The point is, I know you'll treat her right, son. And I trust you to take care of her when or if I'm not around."

Two glasses followed the bottle, and less than a minute later, two double whiskies were poured and being nursed by the two men, as they settled down on the sofas; Lee sitting on one, and David on the other. It took a moment, before Lee spoke, his voice still somewhat quiet, but now seemingly more comfortable with the other man's company. "Thank you, sir… I swear, you're not gonna regret this at all…" He eventually said, turning his head only slightly, with a grateful smile clearly written on his features.

It was half an hour later that Carley re-entered, blushing slightly, and looking almost regretfully at the two men. "So… Uh… We had a little problem in the kitchen… How does pizza sound?"

Both Lee and David paused their conversation about football and turned to look at her; sharing a small smirk between themselves. They'd only talked about the possibility of their dinner being burnt (which was now coming to light as the smells from the kitchen began to drift through the doorway, which was now open), and had joked about how long it would be before either the smoke alarm sounded, or the smell of burning reached them. And now, it had been proved to be the latter that came to light.

The rest of the night passed by quickly for the group; playing board games, sharing embarrassing stories from Carley's childhood, and even breaking out her old baby photos at one point. And, at around 10pm, they stumbled through the door to Lee's apartment, laughing happily as they kissed, their arms wrapped around each other in a giggling mess. And, when the morning came around, upon waking up beside each other; each of them as naked as the other, they didn't notice that in the previous night's haze, that they had completely forgotten to use protection. The very notion that they had been so stupid would be soon forgotten in the rush to get dressed before Lee's parents arrived.

Little did they know, their mistake would come back to bite them in two months' time.

* * *

It had been a good two minutes since Carley had made her confession to him, and the entire time, Lee had simply sat, staring blankly ahead in pure terror and shock. It was well into the second minute that the panic Carley had been feeling for two days finally bubbled up, her face creasing in distress, and her hand coming up to cover her mouth and nose, a long, shuddered breath leaving her, before a sob followed. Her other arm wrapped around her stomach, and she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her thighs.

When a pair of arms wrapped around her, she couldn't help but tense, before allowing herself to be pulled in to Lee's chest, as he gently rocked her, his hand running over her back in a soothing motion, as hers moved to clench in his shirt, burying her face into his embrace. "It's… It's okay… I'm here… I'm right here…" He muttered, his own eyes filling with tears now at the realization of the fact that he could very well be holding onto his girlfriend and unborn child at that precise moment. And that, above everything else, was what terrified him to the very core.

He was twenty-one years old; legally an adult in all fifty states, and in pretty much every other country on the planet. But Carley? Carley was nineteen—almost twenty. She was still only a teenager, with her entire life set out ahead of her to enjoy and choose to do as she wished with. But now, because of one stupid mistake he'd made, she would be lumbered with him and a baby for the rest of her life. After all, she'd told him in numerous conversations that she was against abortion if she were to ever have the choice. She wasn't against other women getting them; far from it. But to her? The morals presented in that huge, life-changing choice were just too much; and she'd told him that if they were ever in the position of an accidental pregnancy, that he'd better be prepared for fatherhood.

And that only added to his fear. Not for him, of course. He couldn't care about himself less than he already did. But for her and their child. He was terrified that he wouldn't be enough for them; or strong enough to be able to deal with all the challenges parenthood brought.

It was a good five minutes with her sobbing into his chest, before he spoke again, kissing the top of her head, as his voice cracked in pure terror. "O-okay… Uh… You… Are you sure…? Did you do a home test…?" He managed to get out, fighting against his racing heart and nerves in order to keep her somewhat calm; or as calm as he could in the circumstances.

Of course, when she pulled away, and moved her hand from where it was gripping his shirt; her eyes were red and puffy, with tears staining her cheeks. His hand moved to cup her cheeks, to rub away any trailing mascara and tears that had left black marks trailing down her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, before they opened, boring straight into his; as she slowly shook her head. "I… I w-wanted to wait… If it turns out p—" She cut herself off, taking a deep, shaky breath, before continuing; seemingly steeling herself for the words. "If it turns out p-positive… I want you to be there… You need to find out when I do… It's—"

"Hey…" Lee said softly, gently moving his hand to push some of her hair (which had fallen out of the loose ponytail she'd had it tied back in), and press a gentle kiss to her forehead. His own tears had stopped flowing; and Carley's were almost there, which he took as a sign that it was okay to talk, and that she was going to listen to him. "Listen, Car… We're going to find out… Right now, I'm going to jump in my car and drive my ass down to the store… I'm gonna get you one of those tester kits, and you… You're going to drink your bodyweight in water while I'm gone, to get ready. And when I get back, we're gonna find out if you got a bun in there or if it's just an empty pan."

The small chuckle that tore from Carley's lips was enough to put anyone at ease, Lee observed. Seeing her so weak and vulnerable was something he hadn't seen in the entire time they'd been together; and he hoped to god he would never have to see her like that again. It had truly scared him to think of her being so scared; and vowed to himself there and then that he would do everything in his power to stop it happening ever again.

So, within thirty minutes, Lee had jumped in his car, driven away from his apartment with twenty bucks in his pocket; with one goal on his mind, and had pulled up outside a local gas-station. Upon entering, he slipped his car keys back into his pocket, and took out a small piece of paper that Carley had given him, with the type of test she'd found out and assured him was the most accurate one they could buy, according to the forums she'd read.

After five minutes of mindless browsing, he slowly slipped into the family planning section (pardon the pun), his eyes scanning over the shelves upon shelves of condoms, sex toys, fertility tests, and vitamins. Eventually, upon almost giving up, he found what he was looking for, beside stacks of diapers and burping cloths.

It was another ten minutes after he'd found them, that he pulled up outside his apartment complex, and all but bolted through the doorway, up the stairs, and unlocked the door to his place, almost falling inside.

Carley, who was standing in the kitchen nook with a glass of water in-hand, seemingly bouncing on the spot, let out a snort of laughter upon seeing him fall in, the bag containing the test flying out of his hand, and landing on the sofa with a small thump. She walked over, picked up the bag, and looked inside, paling again at the sight of its contents. A minute of silence passed, before Lee spoke, having stood from the floor, and made his way across to her. "Hon'... I know it's hard, but… we have to know… Can't get nine months down the line and be shocked… Y'know…?"

"Yeah… Yeah…" She muttered in response, looking up at him with a small, albeit forced smile. Then, after a moment to steel herself, Carley fully looked at him, and leaned up to press a gentle, chaste kiss, the hand that wasn't holding the bag moving up to rest on the back of his neck, before she pulled away, moving back down off of her tiptoes with a soft sigh of resignation. "I… I guess I'd better get this over with, huh…?"

"That'd probably be best… can't keep putting it off…"

So, that led them to that particular point, with him standing opposite her from her seated position on the toilet; each of them seemingly more nervous than the other. It seemed to be the longest three minutes of either of their lives, as they tried to prepare themselves for what they were about to see.

While they waited, Lee wasn't able to tear his eyes off of his girlfriend; who by now had calmed down, and was sitting on the closed toilet seat, gnawing nervously at her fingernail, and staring off blankly. Anyone else would have just thought she was just nervous, and would get over it. But Lee knew different. He absolutely adored the woman sitting before him, and knowing that she was more than likely having an internal battle with herself over the situation they'd found themselves in; doubting her own morals and choices she would make, before she'd even made them. He slowly smiled at her nervously.

The woman in question just remained stoic, sitting on the toilet with her elbows on her knees, and her legs jiggling only slightly out of pure nerves. She knew that she seemed as if she was cutting him off, but at the same time, he wasn't facing the possibility of facing nine months of something she'd always wanted to put off for as long as possible. As cliché as it sounded, she'd wanted to be in her prime when she finally started a family of her own, despite knowing it was what she wanted. She'd hoped to be a top journalist; working for some high-profile news station or Newspaper; and to be married for at least three years before they even started trying for a baby.

But here she was, sitting in her boyfriend's bathroom, with tear-stained and puffy eyes, waiting on a test that could very well ruin both of their futures, and even their relationships. Would a baby break them up? Would they fall into the category of 'needing childcare' on their college records?

Her thoughts were cut short by a loud beeping that came from Lee's watch; signalling that the waiting time was up.

"Car…" He muttered, just as she stood, a little shakily from the porcelain bowl she'd been vacating. When she went to pick the test up, he gently set his hand over hers, stopping her for only a brief moment, so he could speak to her. "You know I'm here, right…? No matter what…"

"I know, Lee… Thank you…" She smiled in response, leaning up and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, as she picked up the small, plastic object on the side of his sink. Then, after pulling away, her eyes went down, and she shakily turned the pregnancy test over.

Positive.

A breath left her, almost like she was punched in the stomach, as she leaned against the counter; suddenly feeling lightheaded. This was… this wasn't what they wanted… this wasn't what was right. She couldn't have a baby! She was nineteen years old for God's sake! What was she going to do? What were they going to do? Surely Lee didn't want this, either. After all, he'd only just started working at the school, not even a year ago. They weren't in the right place emotionally, physically and financially to start a family.

That's not to say she didn't want a family with Lee. Of course not. She'd love to have a child with him one day. But now was not the time. They were young; and had so much life left to live before that time.

"Lee, I… I can't do this…" She muttered eventually, shaking her head with a sigh. Her hands clenched around the pregnancy test, and she let out another shaky sigh, slowly backing towards the toilet yet again, collapsing onto it at a complete loss for what to say or do. "I can't… I can't be a mom… We can't be parents… Not right now…"

The man in question was standing by the sink, his eyes closed in pure terror. This was bad. This was really, really bad. They hadn't been together all that long, either. And although there was no doubt that Lee was head over heels for her; no way was he ready to settle down and do the whole 'marriage and a baby' thing. And for some reason, he felt like the same was true about her.

So, as a silent reply, he slowly moved over to her, and knelt down, pulling into a firm, loving hug. "Hey… Hey, it's okay… We're okay… We're going to get through all of this… I promise…"

The next morning dawned, and Lee rolled over in bed. His eyes were exhausted; due to not sleeping the previous night, simply thinking over the day's events. They were having a baby. Carley… Carley was having his baby. They would have a little person who was theirs; completely and utterly theirs. They'd be responsible for a tiny person for the next eighteen years, and it was his entire fault. If only he'd remembered to wear a goddamned condom that night, they wouldn't be in that situation.

His eyes moved over to where she was sleeping; her cheeks tear-stained, and her hair messy. She'd cried most of the night, until she'd eventually exhausted herself; passing out only three hours prior. She looked so troubled, even while asleep, and Lee couldn't help the guilt that poured through him. This girl, who was so precious to him and everyone around them, and so strong, would become part of a percentage. She'd have to ask for things from her College, which she didn't like doing in the first place. Extensions to her assignments, childcare… It was going to be hard for her to even will herself to ask. And that's not counting the looks she'd get from other students as she got bigger; looks of sympathy and of judgement. Yet there he was, getting off scot-free, without everyone's constant judging or sympathetic looks. He'd simply be able to continue as normal, while she'd have to do all of the hard work.

"…Hey…" He heard, which slowly brought him out of his thoughts. He looked over and his eyes softened, as he brought his hand up to cup his girlfriend's cheek, who was now awake, and staring at him with a soft, sad smile. "What're you thinking about…?"

He reached over and pushed her hair away from her face, before leaning in to kiss her lovingly. "Nothin'…" He replied softly once he'd pulled away from her, before wrapping the arm that wasn't on her cheek around her shoulder, pulling her to his chest. "Just… Just thinking, is all. Still can't quite believe it." Lee gulped softly, before running his hand slowly down, to set onto her abdomen, which was covered by one of his old high school football t-shirts. Another sigh left him, before he spoke, his voice soft. "Listen, Car… We can do this… Whatever we need to do… whatever you want to do, then… You got me here… I'm with you all the way."

Tears filled Carley's eyes, and she closed them for only a moment, burying her face into his shirt. Then, after a moment, she shook her head, and took a deep breath, before speaking. Her voice was soft, and her words muffled by the fabric of Lee's shirt, but it was still just audible. "You don't have to, Lee… You can go… But, I… I'm going to keep it. I don't think I could get rid of it without hating myself… It's not its fault that we were stupid one night."

"Hey… Hey…" Lee muttered, pulling her close to him and shushing her gently, kissing the side of her head as he felt her begin to get worked up. "It's okay… We're okay… I'm not going anywhere. I'm with you until the end."

* * *

One short car-ride after a cup of tea and coffee later, Lee and Carley arrived at their local doctor's clinic, where they were seen to by an elderly receptionist, who handed them what seemed to be an entire tree's worth of paperwork, and told them to await their doctor.

Surely enough, while they sat and filled out the forms, families flowed in and out of the clinic; some with young children, and some elderly couples. And as he sat there, Lee couldn't help but think of what their lives would become once they'd come to terms with the idea of a child. Would they be happy? Would they grow old together like so many of the couples they'd seen? Or would they become so unhappy that they'd be reduced to the arguing families they'd seen.

He wasn't able to dwell on the grim thought for too long, as they were called into the doctor's office not even twenty minutes after they arrived.

After a quick talk, and an explanation, the doctor smiled at them, and took a sample of blood from Carley, much to her distaste.

"God, I hate those things…" She muttered, gently rubbing her arm once the doctor left, smiling ever so slightly at Lee, who seemed to have paled slightly at the sight of her getting her blood taken. She reached over and took his hand, giving it a small squeeze. "Y'okay there, honey? Did the big bad doctor jab me with an itty bitty needle?"

"Nothin' about that needle was 'itty bitty', Palmer." Lee replied, unable to help the small smirk of amusement that formed. He squeezed her hand back, as he started to regain his colour. "I'm just glad it was you, and not me… I hate those fucking things…"

"Aww, honey." Carley teased again, smiling for what seemed to be the first time in forever. Lee couldn't help but smile right back at her, squeezing her hand once again, before raising it, and kissing her knuckles lovingly. "Is the big man scared of an teeny needle, huh? Don't worry, I'll make sure it stays away from you."

Lee cocked a smirk her way, and let her hand go, leaning back in his chair with a grin. "Oh, okay, so just because I don't like needles, it means you can be mean to me. I get it. But just remember which one of us can drink coffee, and can very easily drink it right in front of you."

The woman's jaw dropped, before she pouted, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, one ankle coming up to rest on her knee. "That's not fair! You know how much I hate decaf! That's just mean!"

"All is fair in love and war, Ms. Palmer." Lee shot back, smirking playfully.

Their back and forth was cut short, at the sudden appearance of Carley's doctor, who was holding a sheet of paper in her hand. She slowly walked inside, and sat back down in her chair, looking at the faces of her patient and her boyfriend for a moment, before speaking softly. "Now… I don't know how to say this to the two of you, so I'm just going to come out and say it. The test results came back, and I'm sorry to say they're negative."

Carley froze, her hand clenching around Lee's in pure shock, as her eyes once again widened. Was it disappointment that flooded through her? Relief? Sadness? Anger?

Somehow, she felt it was a mix of all of them, and more.

When she finally brushed up the courage, she looked across at Lee, and found his expression to be an exact mirror of hers. Right there and then, in that exact moment, Carley knew It wasn't just her feeling this way. They were both confused and angry and downright upset about the negative result.

Sure, they were young, as the doctor went on to explain. They were only a couple of kids, truth be told. But at the same time, she felt slightly wronged by god, or whoever had a hand in those test results. She'd built herself up to be almost excited over the prospect of a child, as stupid as it sounded, she was upset to find out that she wasn't actually pregnant.

The doctor continued on rambling to them about her possibly getting the implant or coil, to which Lee had to reply, as Carley had just gone completely blank. After half an hour of 'yesses' and 'nos' with the doctor, and a promise to return one day when they did in fact conceive a child, Carley and Lee simply stood, and walked from the doctor's office, bidding her goodbye with a sad, defeated expression written clearly on their faces. So, with now laying in the glove box, they left the surgery parking lot, both pale and deflated.

It was on the drive back home that Carley finally let it all come crashing down on her, her eyes staring out at the passing scenery as tears rolled down her cheek; her hand resting on her empty, flat abdomen subconsciously. _"Why…? Why am I upset over this…?"_ She mentally scolded, trying her best to sober up for both of their sakes. A slender hand scrubbed under her blood-shot, puffy eyes, and she sniffed loudly, steeling herself. She knew that Lee, who was in his own state of shock, didn't need to see her cry. Not after everything else they'd been through. _"Just have to get home and shower. That's all. I can cry in there. But he does not need to see this."_

Carley slowly turned her head, and set her hand on Lee's hand, which was resting on the steering wheel loosely, just enough to be able to control the vehicle. She sent him a small, sad smile, which he didn't fully return.

It was half an hour of silent, emotionless driving later that they pulled up outside Lee's apartment block, the brakes squeaking only slightly as he did so. Silence enveloped them, before Lee spoke softly for the first time since they'd received the news.

"… Carley, we must have done it four times that night… None of those times were protected…" He started, not looking at her, and just staring blankly ahead. It was then that Carley finally noticed just how pale he'd become, and how much he'd seemed to have aged in the short drive from the doctor's office. The wrinkles on his forehead (already uncharacteristic of his age) seemed to have deepened, and his eyes seemed to have developed deep, dark bags beneath them, giving him a gaunt look.

"There's no way that we could have done it all those times that night… Unprotected… And got out of it with barely a scratch…" He continued, now looking across at her with a stoic expression on his face. His hand gripped hers tightly now, and he gulped, before finishing; his words filling her with complete and utter dread.

 _"There's something_ _ **wrong**_ _with one of us…"_


	4. Chapter 4 - I'm Sure

**For Those You Love – REDUX  
Chapter 4 - I'm Sure**

 _ **A/N -**_ _I've been teasing an update for Valentine's for WEEKS, so here it is! Have a really cute, shippy chapter for today guys! I hope you enjoyed it!_

 _Also, just a little shout out to my friends Jen, Paul, and CiCi, who celebrated their birthdays in January! Y'all are my rocks, and I know for damn certain I wouldn't have been able to get through everything lately without you. I love you all so much, and I hope your birthdays were truly, truly amazing, because you deserve everything you get!_

 _While I'm here though, everyone, I just want to ask a favour. If you enjoy the story; please, PLEASE leave a review. I'm finding it hard to stay motivated when I get one review per chapter. Sure, people get back to me on Tumblr about it, but it doesn't really match up to seeing the review count going up on here. I hope this doesn't come off as needy or whiney, but it's something I need in order to keep on pumping out chapters like I do._

 _That's all, and with that; on with the chapter! Thanks guys! Enjoy! And happy Valentine's from HarryPotterTwin!_

* * *

The months following their pregnancy scare passed by in a complete blur for the couple. Lee worked non-stop for the entirety of the week, and Carley threw herself into her college work. This, along with Carley's upcoming assessments, and the grading Lee would have to do every night after work, meant they'd simply not had time to fully sit and talk as a couple about the predicament they'd been in. Hell, they'd barely had time to spend with each other at all; never mind talking.

So, one weekend while Carley was studying for her exams, Lee jumped at his parents' offer of letting him work at the pharmacy for a few hours, to cover one of their weekend staff's shifts.

The man heard soft footsteps approaching him, rousing him from his thoughts, as he stood behind the service counter. He'd been deep in thought for over thirty minutes, barely even coming out of it to serve customers. His parents, (his mother, mostly) had picked up on this, and her brow was furrowed in absolute concern for her son. Never had he been so withdrawn, or so upset. At least not since his very early childhood, where he'd been bullied at school for his inability to read even the smallest of sentences. Of course, this was soon revealed to be dyslexia, which they'd managed to help him with, in turn dealing with the bullying and teasing he'd been dealt.

But at least Christine knew the reason for his withdrawal. Now, he was a closed book; a puzzle; as deep as an ocean, and seemingly too lost in his thoughts to concentrate on anything else.

Christine Everett was a small woman: her stature was even smaller that Carley's. Her graying, curly hair was cut into a neat perm, and under the apron she wore as a work uniform, she donned a floral blouse and black skirt. Her brown eyes were narrowed in pure concern and kindness, as she approached her eldest son. "Lee, honey… You've been quiet all day. Is everything okay?"

The man in question stood from his slumped position, which he'd previously been standing in with his elbows resting on the counter. His hands moved up slightly, and slipped into his pockets. This only solidified Christine's concerns, as it was what he'd done when he was nervous since he'd been a young boy. She slowly reached out, and set her hand on Lee's arm, her brow furrowed. "Honey, you know you can talk to me about anything…"

A sigh left him again, and he gulped; his brow furrowing. His mind seemed to go into overdrive, mulling over his different options and what he could do to help his situation. He hadn't told any of his family about his worries. He hadn't told them about the pregnancy scare, nor the coldness he was now receiving from Carley in the aftermath of said event.

So, after a moment, he let out a sigh, and closed his eyes only momentarily, before slowly speaking. "I… Well, Carley and I had… well, a close call a couple months ago…" He admitted, his jaw tensing at his own words. "We took a pregnancy test and it was positive. And then, well, obviously it turned out negative when we saw her doctor. But… She's not speaking to me like she used to."

His voice cracked as he spoke again, not even being able to look at his mother's expression. Would it be sympathy? Would it be anger at being kept in the dark about the whole incident? "I… I don't know what to do, mom…"

Shock. That was the only word to describe the expression on Christine's face. Of anything Lee could have told her, that was not what she'd been expecting. She'd always thought he would tell her anything; talk to her about all troubles he'd have. But here she was, being proved wrong by her son; and she found herself becoming more hurt by the second.

One look at her son, though, had all feelings of hurt or anger immediately leaving her. He was broken; that much was evident. Before her wasn't the happy-go-lucky young man she'd raised. He wasn't the teenager who'd spent most of the time drunk, high, or partying. Before her was a man who was too old for his years, his eyes deeper than she'd like, and his expression sunken into his face. Frown lines stood out to her at first glance, but she quickly allowed everything else to sink in, and whatever anger had remained left her in an instant.

"Oh, honey…" She muttered softly, her hand reaching out, and resting on her son's forearm again; pity flooding her features as she did so, her own age showing more than she'd care to admit. She had been aware that the two of them were 'active', having walked into his apartment one weekend, and seeing a little more of Carley than she'd have liked. But she'd always trusted him to be safe; and she knew that any pregnancy that he'd contribute towards would be an accident; there was no doubt in her mind about that.

So to have him admit to what he'd just admitted to was huge for Christine Everett. How long had he been bottling everything up? Far too long, it seemed. "Honey, I am so sorry…"

Lee gulped, his brow furrowing, before he looked up at her, tears now brimming in his eyes. "Mom, I… I don't know what to do…" He muttered lowly, his voice cracking. That was the point in which her heart broke; to see him so vulnerable. But she let him continue speaking; God knows he needed to let it out somehow. "I… I feel like I'm losing her, mom… And I don't want to lose her. She's everything to me… I don't… I don't know what to do to make things better…"

"Have you talked to her? About any of this?" The woman asked softly, mentally thanking God that the pharmacy was quiet for the moment. He needed to talk about this; and she knew her son. He wouldn't open up unless he was 100% trusting of the people around him. He'd always been the same. Even as a child, he'd refused to be seen as anyone other than the 'tough' kid in class; bottling everything up until it just burst out when things got too much. There'd even been a few times they'd needed to re-plaster his bedroom, as he'd lashed out; effectively putting his fist through the plaster.

So to see him here, almost in tears over the whole thing… it was heart-breaking for her. No one wanted to see their son or daughter so upset, and Christine Everett was no different. When he shook his head, she sighed again, and gave his forearm a small squeeze. "Honey, you need to talk to her… You need to be there for each other as much as you can. You two are perfect together. You've come so far; too far, even, to let this tear you apart."

"So," She continued after a small pause, in which she thought over what she could possibly do to make things better for the two of them. "What you need to do, is go see her when she's alone. Take a night for just the two of you, and sort everything out between you two. Because, I swear to you, I've never seen two people better suited together than you two. And to throw that away is a crying shame."

That was three hours before he finally plucked up the courage to find Carley, who he eventually found in her apartment, with a glass of red wine in front of her, as she jotted down notes in a ring binder, and pored over notes; wearing a pair of white pyjamas with pink bunnies on them, and a pair of bunny slippers Lee had bought her for her birthday. She seemed to be almost in a world of her own, as he made his way slowly inside, kicking off his shoes as he went, in order to keep her white carpet clean.

Carley and Amanda shared a small apartment; with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a kitchen-living area. The walls were decorated with white paint, and had a couple of pieces of art hanging up on the walls, along with photographs of them and their other friends. On one wall, there was a large TV, mounted on a television cabinet, which was filled with all of her VHS tapes and music. The sofa, where she was sitting, was a soft blue, to match the fluffy rug beneath a clean, white coffee table between the sofa and the TV, which was covered in various papers and documents as she worked. Lee couldn't help but smile at the sight of her being so engrossed in whatever she was doing, and felt a slight pang of guilt over the fact that he was about to intrude.

But it had to be done.

So, without giving himself time to back out, he coughed softly, and waited, seeing her tense only slightly at the sound. Then, when he saw her shoulders slump slightly, he spoke; his voice soft. "I… I'm sorry intruding…" He said lowly, as he approached the sofa, and moved around it, so he could sit down on the opposite end of it, as far away from her as possible. He wasn't scared of her; of course he wasn't. But he also didn't want to intrude any more than he already was; and he knew she was uncomfortable almost immediately, before he'd even sat down.

"Lee, now really isn't a good time." She replied lowly, keeping her eyes trained on the coffee table in front of her, and purposefully away from the man beside her. "I have like, a dozen exams to study for and just as many assessments that are due in—"

"Next month." Lee countered, cutting off her words, and letting out a sigh of frustration. His elbows leaned on his thighs, as he moved forward, his entire being radiating how insecure and depressed he truly was. "Your assessments and exams are next month. And all I ask is one night away from that, so we can talk. Can you do that for me?"

Despite his tone of voice being as soft and loving as he could possibly make it, and despite all attempts he'd made at keeping calm, his rage rose when she didn't even look at him, her jaw tense, and her eyes distant.

"God dammit, Carley! Look at me, would you?!" He snapped, finally snapping as all the repressed anger, hurt, sadness, depression, and desperation bubbled up out of him. It had been so long since they'd sat and talked together, and he felt like she was trying to cut him out on purpose; blocking both of them away from each other in some attempt to get her life back in order. But that wasn't what they needed. He knew that she was hurting, too. But she still insisted on being so cold and distant towards him. When she didn't look at him, his rage only further increased.

"Fucking hell, I give up! I give the fuck up!" He yelled now, standing from the sofa and beginning to pace; beginning to get caught up in his own rant. "I've tried to give you space! I've tried backing off, and I've tried supporting you! I've tried to reach out; organize something for just the two of us, but every time I try to, you end up ditching me and making excuses! It makes me feel like you don't want me anymore—that you don't want _**us**_!"

He was going to continue, but the very sight of her eyes snapping over to him, filled with equal amounts of rage, hurt, and upset immediately stopped him. Never had he seen her look so—so downright wrathful. And in some, weird way, he already knew it was about to be unleashed in his direction.

"… How… How _**dare**_ you, Lee…?" She eventually said. Her voice had turned as cold as ice, and her eyes narrowing. Long gone were the sparkling, warm emeralds he'd grown to know and love, only to be replaced by two orbs of a steely, reptile green, as they locked onto their target. The very tone of her voice left nothing to the imagination; the hurt she was feeling oozing from her in waves; radiating onto him, and making his own guilt deepen in his chest.

"Do you—Do you even realize what the hell I've been going through?!" She hissed; her voice not quite raising yet, but slowly getting more intense. Her face was slowly darkening, to match the pink of the bunnies on her pajamas, and that was when he knew he was in trouble. Long gone was the relaxed, playful girl he'd come to know and love. She'd now been replaced by a woman at the edge of her tether, ready to pounce at any sudden movement. "Oh no! Of course you didn't! Because you don't think, Lee! With whatever brain cells you have going on up there, do you have any idea what I've been going through lately?!"

"You don't know what it's like!" She stood now, beginning to pace, not giving him the chance to get a word in. Her hair fell from the ponytail she'd had it pulled back into; stray hairs flying out in all directions, and seemingly standing on end at the pure nerve of the man in front of her. When she saw make as if to speak, she cut him off, gesturing with her hand, after throwing down her pen. "You want to try having a boyfriend, going to college, and juggling a social life with your best friend of ten years? It's not fucking easy! Sometimes I'd just wish you'd leave me alone!"

By now, her breath was coming out in short pants, and she tried (and failed) to stop tears brimming in her eyes at the sight of the man she'd been raging to. She hadn't been aware of his expression or body language through her entire rant, but now she'd seen it; she wished she opened her mouth. He'd paled, and was now almost grey in complexion, having shrunk back into the cushions with a blank expression. And then, in a rush of emotion and guilt, she realized exactly what she'd said to him.

"… What _brain cells_ I have…?" Was all he managed to say, his voice weak and quiet, as his eyes gazed off somewhere distant. Carley's heart broke, and her hands came up to cover her mouth in complete shock. Never in a million years would she have wanted to hurt him like that; ever. So the fact that she'd literally just blurted it out in the heat of the moment hurt her to the very core. And if it was hurting her so bad, god knows what it would be doing to him. His eyes slowly moved up to stare at her, darker now than they'd been earlier, unfeeling and hard. When Carley went to speak again, he cut in before her, his voice low and hurt-filled. "I get it… I get it that you're angry right now… You're upset over the false-positive. You're angry at me for intruding, and for not leaving you alone. And I'm sorry for putting you in that position. But that… That was out of line."

"N-No," Carley said, almost scrambling over to him now, and sitting down beside him, her hand moving to cover his, squeezing gently, and almost pleading with him. Long gone was the anger and hate she'd previously shown, being replaced by panic and guilt. "L-Lee, I… I swear, I didn't mean it… I swear, I don't know why I said it. I just… fuck, I love you. I don't want you to leave me alone. Ever."

When he didn't reply, she sighed, and gulped, closing her eyes to steel herself for what she was about to say. "L-Lee… I'm so, _**so**_ sorry if it seemed like I've been pushing you away…" She started, her thumb trailing over his knuckles, her own knuckles white-knuckled now in panic. "I… I've just been so scared… I… I know it sounds so stupid, and childish, but… Lee, I couldn't bare to look at you after what happened."

An expression of slight offense formed on Lee's face, and he furrowed his brow slightly. And, before he had chance to interrupt, she held a hand up, and set the tips of her fingers over is lips. "Just… Listen to me, for… for a second, Lee…" She muttered gently, her eyes locking with his for only a moment, before speaking again. "I… Every time I look at you, I see how hurt you are. I feel like you blame me for what happened, and I-I… I couldn't deal with that. I couldn't deal with letting you down; with me not being pregnant."

"I see now that I was wrong, and you have to _**believe**_ me when I say that I am so sorry…" She continued, now looking directly at Lee. Her eyes were brimming with emotion, and the man in question could plainly see just how true her words were. "But you have to understand that I felt so fucking guilty, Lee… I was angry and upset and disappointed… And to this day I still don't know why. Every time I look at you I see how disappointed you are, and I-I… I couldn't deal with it. I couldn't deal with feeling any worse than I already was and—"

Her words were cut off with a small grunt, as Lee leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers firmly, his arms wrapping around her gently. It took only a moment for her to relax into it, mentally thanking him for stopping her rambling, before she had gotten too upset. The kiss itself was one filled with love, tenderness, forgiveness, and relief on both of their parts; and was the most tender, loving kiss they'd shared since that first kiss on their first date.

When they pulled apart, Lee gulped, leaning his forehead against hers, and bringing his hand up behind her head, pushing her hair away from her face gently. "Listen to me, Carley… I'm upset about the baby for one reason, and one reason only; that you were upset. I knew that you'd gotten excited over the prospect of us… well, settling down and having a family. So, when it came back negative, I wasn't upset for me… I wasn't upset about us not being pregnant. I was upset because I felt I'd let you down—both of us down."

His eyes opened slightly, locking with hers for a brief moment. Chocolate met emerald, and in that instant, Lee made what he would come to see as the single, best, snap decision he'd ever made in his entire life. He took a brief intake of breath, before he spoke, his voice soft, yet completely serious.

"Marry me…?"

The woman's eyes widened slightly from their position, and she gulped, her jaw dropping only slightly. Sure, they'd been together for near-on two years, and had been through a lot together. They'd been through a rough patch, and there was no way in hell they were 'perfect' by anyone's standards. But they were a team. They'd come to be known as the couple everyone envied yet loved at the same time; balancing each other in ways no one could even comprehend. Lee was calm-natured and level-headed, where Carley dove straight in at the deep end, and was essentially a ticking time bomb; not backing down in arguments until she'd made sure her position was heard. Where Lee was deliberately relaxed about keeping things neat and ordered, preferring to leave his work in what he called an 'organized mess', Carley was the complete opposite, preferring to have all of her files ordered and numbered, listed under various sub-sections, so she would be able to grab whatever she needed at a moment's notice.

Despite their differences, though, they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle; literally in some cases. Whenever they cuddled in the evening, Carley felt truly at home in his arms and in his company, as if they were truly made to hold each other. Every crease of his body seemed to fit hers without even trying to. Lee was much more to her than just a boyfriend, or a 'friend'. He was her home. When she imagined her life in the future, she couldn't imagine it without him there, by her side.

Whenever marriage had been brought up by her friends, Carley had simply brushed them off. Why settle when it was much more fun to see where things would head naturally? She'd always thought that single life (or unmarried life) was for her; no responsibilities, no deepset commitments, and ultimately, no possibility of rejection. She'd never thought that the whole marriage and a baby thing was for her, but since she'd gotten serious with Lee? She'd began to change her mind.

After they'd made things official, and they'd settled down in the relationship, Carley had caught herself quite a few times daydreaming about some big, white wedding. She'd caught herself waking up from dreams of a suburban house with a station wagon parked on the driveway, and a toddler running around the front yard who was being chased around by her husband (who slowly began to look more and more like Lee as things progressed, squealing in absolute happiness. And as these dreams became more and more frequent, the less anxious Carley found herself becoming towards the idea.

So when the words fell from Lee's lips, there was no response she could say, other than:

"Yes."

* * *

"Lee, come on!" Carley called, running across her living room to the mirror that was up on the wall, in order to touch up her makeup. She wouldn't normally fuss, but their parents, Lee's brother, and Amanda were heading to her parents house for a meal to celebrate their engagement, and she didn't want to give her friend any more ammunition to use against her getting engaged so soon.

Amanda was handling it as well as any best friend would. At first she'd been ecstatic for her friends, insisting that she pay for Chinese as her way of congratulating them. But the more time Carley spent at Lee's apartment, and the less time she spent at home due to wedding researching and organising, the more sceptical she became. It had eventually reached the point where Amanda had all but cut herself off from the couple, barely seeing them and outright refusing to go for drinks with them one evening.

After some reassurance, and a couple of 'girls nights' with Carley, though, she'd eventually come back around to the idea of a wedding, and was now focused on furiously planning her bachelorette party, with the newly-given role of Maid of Honour. Of course, she'd been warned to keep things somewhat PG, or at the very least T for Teen. But knowing Amanda, she wouldn't expect anything but raunchiness from the outset.

She was broken from her memory by the appearance of Lee, who was dressed in a simple, white button-down, and a pair of grey suit pants. "Alright, Alright," He chuckled, as he walked through to where she was, stopping short as soon as he set eyes on her.

She wasn't wearing anything fancy; a white sundress with a yellow cardigan over top, and a pair of white sandals. Her hair was pulled back with a white hair-tie, letting enough hair fall from the loose ponytail in order to frame her face almost. Her face was a mask of confusion at his sudden silence, and she smiled softly, as she approached him.

"C'mon, fiancé… Can't leave our family waiting around while you gawp over me. You can do that when we get back here." She teased, before gripping his hand, and pulling him out of the door after her.

Twenty minutes of driving later, and one emergency bathroom stop for Lee later, they pulled up outside of her parents' house, each of them a complete bundle of nerves. This was it; from the moment they walked through the door of the house in front of them, they'd be engaged. Although they already were, and had acknowledged it often, it didn't seem 'real' to either of them. They felt as if they were in the honeymoon period, between the time that Lee had popped the question, and the time they'd sit and attempt to plan out the first, tiny details of their wedding day.

A moment of reflection later, they walked inside the house hand-in-hand.

The first thing they noticed when they walked inside was how _**quiet**_ the house was. Every other time they'd been over, either Jennifer or David had been to greet them at the door, fussing over them and handing out hugs, before bringing them through. So, to have it completely silent should have been the first sign that something was out of the ordinary.

Their fears, however, were confirmed when they walked through the small lobby, and opened the door to the living room, only to be met with the most startling, yet heart-warming sight either of them had ever seen.

A large banner had been pinned above the fireplace, with balloons tied to either end, the words _'Congratulations Lee and Carley!'_ printed on it in bright, yellow lettering. Beneath the banner was a long table where the coffee table had previously been, piled with gifts of all shapes and sizes, in various wrapping papers and bows. Food filled the rest of the table with a whole manner of different sandwiches, pastries, fruits, and cakes; most notably the centre-piece which was a plain white sheet-cake, with black accents, and small, fondant hearts dotted around the face of it. The words 'Congratulations on your Engagement Carley and Lee' Were written in grey icing along the top and bottom edge, with a slightly raised sheet of fondant in the centre, decorated with the words 'Shit just got real'. That - Lee thought with a smirk - must have been either Brad or Amanda's task to decide upon.

However, the most surprising part about the entire thing, was the sheer amount of people that had turned up, who had let out an almighty cheer when the couple had entered the room, cheering happily. Party poppers sounded, along with tweeters, and even a few rattles from the back rows. The man looked around to his girlfriend, completely gobsmacked at the reception they'd received, to find her just as shocked, laughing along with their families.

After a quick thank you speech, and after they greeted their family, both Lee and Carley ended up mingling in with the crowd, drinks in-hand, and grins plastered firmly on their faces.

"Carley, you look amazing!" Debbie; one of Carley's cousins commented, her hands firmly gripping the other woman's as she looked her over. The woman was tall, with long, black hair, and olive skin, and despite the obvious differences between the two, there was also numerous similarities. Carley and Debbie shared their grandmother's green eyes, and nose. They shared a small hug, before pulling apart again, with Debbie raising Carley's left hand expectantly, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Oh, honey, please tell me Lee hasn't put off buying the ring!"

A chuckle came from Carley in response, and she shook her head, squeezing her cousin's hand in order to reassure her. "No, no, it's okay." She soothed, still amused by the other woman's reaction. Some of the women who had gathered were now intently listening to her; some of them looking to be almost scandalized over the lack of an engagement ring being on her hand. "Lee and I decided that it's not important. It wouldn't be financially wise right now. Besides, I've never been the jewellery type, and I don't think either of us are really experts in that department."

The women surrounding her all started murmuring amongst themselves, and Carley rolled her eyes in exasperation. She knew deep down that they wouldn't take no for an answer, and wouldn't back down from their opinions, but one look over to her fiancé told Carley everything that she needed to know.

He was standing with both of their fathers, his Brother, her uncle Tommy, and her Aunt Maud. In Lee's arms was her young cousin, Daniel, who was little over three months old. The young boy seemed blissfully unaware of the party around them, as the man was letting him play with one of the balloons, letting the baby stare happily at the shiny, spherical object in complete awe. And that was when she was sure she had made the right choice in her future husband.

Most women would have been put off by the fact he'd not bought an engagement ring. They'd be put off by the fact he hadn't proposed in some huge, grand gesture which cost and arm and a leg, and took months to prepare and set in motion. But just looking at the way he smiled at the little boy in his arms, bouncing him gently, with nothing but love and absolute adoration held in his eyes for young Daniel, Carley knew he was the one. Whatever would come, they'd face together, as a team. They made mistakes, sure. They'd had arguments. There'd been times where Lee was insufferable, or annoying, or flat-out irritable. But there was one thing for sure she knew would never change:

Lee Jackson Everett was _**hers**_.

And she wouldn't have things any other way than she had them at that moment, surrounded by their family, and celebrating what would be a joyous occasion for all of them. So when Debbie asked if she was sure about getting engaged, and jokingly assured her that It wasn't too late to back out, Carley only had one definite response for her:

"I've never been more sure about anything…"


	5. Chapter 5 - I Do

**For Those You Love – REDUX  
Chapter 5 - I Do**

* * *

 _Because you have shared in our lives  
and supported our love, we_

 **Carley Evelyn Palmer** _  
And  
_ **Lee Jackson Everett  
** _-  
request the pleasure of your company  
at our marriage on  
_ **Saturday, the Seventh of June  
1997  
at Twelve in the afternoon**

At the

 **Friendship Presbyterian Church, Athens  
** _-  
Reception to immediately follow_

* * *

Plans were made, months passed, and before either of them were able to fathom, the day of Carley and Lee's bachelor parties was upon them, taking place the day before their impending nuptials. Of course, neither of them knew what had been planned for them, other than that Brad and Amanda had been in charge, fulfilling their roles of Maid of Honour and Best Man respectively.

However, the day was young, and they stood in Carley's kitchen nook, with glasses of soda in-hand, dressed to the nines and seemingly on cloud-nine. Lee had filled out in the months following their engagement, forming muscle and working out like Hell until he'd seen some sort of progress in the muscle department. He'd also grown a small beard, trimming it to a goatee, and had cut his hair down so it was short enough for him to be able to tame quickly on a morning.

Carley, however, had changed the most of the two of them. Not only had she cut her hair into a shoulder-length bob, as opposed to her previously long style which reached her shoulder blades, she had earned herself a position at WABE Atlanta as a coffee girl, acting as the middleman between the corporate bigwigs who ran the place, while getting hands-on experience on an almost daily basis.

She'd come to Lee's place immediately after her interview, throwing herself at him and all but screaming about her new position, wanting nothing more than to buzz to anyone who would listen how amazing the opportunity was, and how much she already loved the place. The force of the hug she'd buried him in had almost knocked him onto his back. So, after he gained his footing, and told her to slow down, she climbed off of him.

A cup of coffee later, they had settled down for the night, with a crappy movie as she buzzed to him.

Sure, the pay wasn't great; she was essentially an assistant, but it got them by quite nicely, that, along with Lee's salary managed to pay for the majority of their upcoming nuptials. That being said; they weren't going to have a huge ceremony by any means, it was going to be a small, country wedding, with a church-house ceremony, followed by a barbeque in a community centre. Their friends had provided the DJ and the live band, leaving only the finer details such as the dress, suits, and the cake to the happy couple and their families.

But for now, they were enjoying the last few minutes of being alone, before they split up for the night, to keep the tradition of not seeing each other the night before their wedding. They'd also abstained from the sexual part of their relationship for a month prior, wanting to make their wedding day that much more enjoyable for the both of them.

"So," Carley continued, gesturing to the side wildly and smiling. "We're all stuck in the broadcast room, and one of our 'anchors' turns around mid-broadcast – while we're still on air- and says to however many people were listening to us _'Carley: one of our assistants; isn't going to be here for the next two weeks, because she's getting married, so good luck to her and her fiancé, and we hope it all turns out amazing'_ '. And - I swear to god - we must've had at least a hundred callers, texts, and emails wishing us luck!"

A laugh escaped Lee, as he rolled his eyes, the back of his legs leaning against the kitchen island lazily. "So what you're saying is that half of Georgia's gonna turn up at the church tomorrow?" He joked, smirking at her from over his coffee, taking a small sip. "Because if they do, there's no way in hell we're getting our deposit back."

The woman herself laughed at his comment, rolling her eyes teasingly, as she sipped at her own coffee. "Oh, _**please**_. Our moms only made enough for the people who are already coming. If any more turn up, we'll need to keep a defibrillator on call for them."

They both laughed then, and Lee's hand moved out, wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her to his chest, kissing her head lovingly and just holding her close. He found that he loved these moments, where they could just relax and keep each other company, not needing anything else, other than the two of them. The change in atmosphere had a soft sigh to come from the man, and he kissed her head again, before mumbling into her hair. "It's hard to think that this time tomorrow, you'll be halfway through becoming my wife…"

Though he couldn't see it, he could feel her lips pulling up into a grin at his words, her head still resting gently against his chest. "That I will be, Mr. Everett... And you'll be halfway through becoming my husband…" She raised her head, and looked into his eyes, smiling all the while, and raising her hands to his shoulders, after setting down her coffee on the island behind him. "It's not too late to back out, you know that? I mean, I think my parents'd be pissed, but it's still not too late."

Another, softer laugh came from Lee, and he tightened his hold on his fiancée only slightly, smiling down at her almost proudly. "Oh, please. Why would I do that? No chance in hell of me scoring anyone hotter than you. I think you're more likely to run off than I am. After all, being stuck with me for the rest of your life can't be too exciting, can it?"

"Hey now, Mr. Everett." Carley smiled softly, moving up onto her tiptoes, and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, her fingertips playing with the hairs at the base of his neck. It was a small gesture, but it was something that felt normal to Lee. Whenever she tried to comfort him, she'd always make her way to the back of his neck, toying with the bristly hairs there, which were stiff with hair gel. "I don't want you starting our married life having doubts… I'm going to have to tell you to stop talking immediately, if you wish to start as we wish to go on. Ever heard the phrase ' _Happy Wife, happy life_ '?"

Lee let out a small chuckle, and rolled his eyes, raising one hand into a surrender, with the other firmly on the small of her back. "Okay, okay, I'm gonna stay quiet. But just so you know; even when we're standing up at the altar, the only time it would be too late to back out would be after the 'I do's."

Carley's brow furrowed in pure emotion, but before she had time to even utter a word in response, the sound of the door opening rang through the apartment, accompanied by Amanda and Brad's voices. "Alright guys! Wherever you are, get your pants back on and get your jackets! It's time to say goodbye until tomorrow!"

* * *

The following morning dawned with the sound of the cockerel, the sun shining brightly through the windows onto the slumbering woman. Her hair was strewn around her head haphazardly, the brunette locks untamed and still a little matted from the foam party Amanda had taken her and the rest of her 'hens' to the previous night. Of course, in the process, Makeup had been smudged, and was now trailing down Carley's face, giving the impression that she'd been crying, when in fact it had been completely the opposite.

Amanda had given her one hell of a send-off; she definitely had to give her that. After they'd set off from Carley's apartment, they'd gone to a day spa, where most of both families' older female relatives met her. Of course, they all fawned over her, particularly her grandmother, who lived in Kentucky, and thus barely seen from one year to the next. So, when Carley entered wearing a white dressing gowns, as opposed to the other women's blue ones, the elder Palmer Matriarch had immediately burst into tears, before enveloping her in a tight, bone-crushing hug, which she sure as hell needed a massage to cure the effects of, her bones aching to the very core.

Of course, though, after a day of massages, saunas, and general relaxation, the younger women in the party separated from the elders, making their way to a local nightclub, where the remaining members of her bachelorette party would meet up with them, kicking the night off with drinks to celebrate, while Carley was dressed up by her friends in a veil and sash with the words _**'Bride-To-Be'**_ printed in bright pink lettering on it.

Having spent more time than initially planned at the bar, they'd stumbled drunkenly back to Carley's childhood home, with the bride-to-be taking her old bedroom, while Amanda would be bunking down in the guest room, in which she'd already dropped off her things the day before.

Somehow, in her drunken state, Carley had managed to change into her pyjamas, and get tucked into her bed by 2am. But that was arguable. Her pyjama pants were on backwards, and her shirt was inside-out, with the blankets pushed halfway off of her during the night, a slight dribble of drool making its way down to her pillow.

Whatever dreams she may have been having were interrupted, however, by the sound of Jennifer knocking gently on her daughter's bedroom door, slowly opening it and revealing a breakfast tray balancing carefully on her hand. "Sweetie?" She muttered softly as she entered, shutting the door with a small, almost inaudible click behind her. "Carley, honey, it's time to wake up…"

The ' _inaudible'_ click of the door was anything but quiet to the woman in question, as she groaned slightly, her bleary eyes opened and she immediately flinched in the bright, morning sunlight. "Oh Jesus…" She grumbled, turning and stuffing her head under her pillow, trying her best to stop the early morning sun from burning her any more than it had. "I swear to god, I am never drinking again…"

"That's why you shouldn't drink so much." Jennifer smiled playfully as she moved over to the bed, setting the tray down as she looked across at her daughter. "Both of you girls are in a state this morning. Seems like both the Bride and Maid-Of-Honor enjoyed the party a little too much. You've both slept in past ten."

Her last words had just the effect she thought they would have, as Carley's eyes bolted open, and she immediately shot up out of bed, stumbling only slightly and gripping to the wall, to steady herself, with her hand over her chest, and her hair askew. "Oh my god, you let me sleep in?! Mom I have to get everything ready! I have to be at the church in two hours! I need to shower, put on my makeup, do my hair, get into my dress, get everyone's flowers in order, and get to the church! And I have to do all of that in less than two hours!"

Jennifer chuckled, shaking her head and patting her daughter's shoulder sympathetically, making the woman's blonde hair fall out of its loose, messy bun. "Cool your jets, Bridezilla. I told you a little lie to get you out of bed. It's actually only nine. You have three hours to get all of that done." She soothed, chuckling at the expression of both hatred and admiration now coming from the bride-to-be. However, there was one thing that Carley had forgotten to mention on her list, which she immediately turned her back towards, gesturing to the tray laying on the bed. She pressed a gentle kiss to her daughter's head, before heading slowly back towards the door, adding just before she left:

"You can sort all of that stuff out—but _**after**_ you've eaten. It's a big day, and there's no way in hell I'm letting my only child get married on an empty stomach."

* * *

Across town, barely two hours later, Lee walked out of the en suite bathroom in the guest room, which had been dubbed as 'wedding central' over the course of the morning, seeing as both Lee and Brad had set their suits within it, along with anything else they'd need to take with them, such as the rings and their speeches.

His hands fumbled with his tie, tucking it safely within his waistcoat as he emerged, whistling to himself, with a slight skip in his step. Anyone who didn't know him would think him mad for being so chipper about his upcoming nuptials. After all, most men would be running for the hills at the mere thought of getting married. But Lee wasn't. He was actively looking forward to the day that they'd planned. After all, it wasn't every day he would vow to spend the rest of his life with his best friend, right?

He made his way across to the chair, picking up his suit jacket, and slipping it over his shoulders, before turning to the mirror, in order to straighten the garment, and fully take in his appearance.

His hair had been cut the hour before he'd gotten dressed by his mother's friend, who would also be attending the ceremony and reception, and was now styled immaculately, with a little product in it to make It stand in the correct direction, and stay there for the entire day. His stubble had also been trimmed (by himself, not his mother's friend), and was no longer the mess it usually was; now being shaved to the minimum he could, without losing the slight goatee he'd grown.

His suit was a plain grey three-piece, with a lighter grey, tweed waistcoat, and a darker grey jacket and pants. His tie was black, and his shirt was white, contrasting the darker colours in the outfit. The last part of his suit, which he immediately picked up, and pinned to his lapel, was his boutonniere. Once it was suitably in place, he couldn't help the smile that formed.

' _Well… here goes… This is my wedding day'_ he thought, a soft, nervous sigh leaving him. This was it; the end of his days as a single, unspoken-for man. But it was also the start of the life he had chosen, with Carley, as Husband and wife. The mere thought was terrifying, yet it was also the most amazing thing he'd ever felt.

A soft gasp sounded from behind him, and he spun, immediately locking gazes with his mother, who was standing in the doorway, looking to be on the brink of tears. She stepped forward, the sunlight revealing her to be dressed in a pale yellow skirt-suit, with a large hat perched atop her freshly permed hair. She stretched out a hand, and laid it gently against the material of her son's suit jacket, gulping down her emotions before speaking.

"You know…" She started, as she smoothed down the lapel of his jacket, and straightened his boutonniere, where it had been laid slightly askew, twisted so the back was facing outwards. "It seems like just yesterday I was helping you get dressed for the Easter service at church… Hard to think of you as anything but a ten year old boy, instead of the twenty-two year old man you've become…"

A sigh left her, and she took a deep breath, setting her hand flat against his chest yet again, as if trying to hold on to her son in any way she could, even if it was only for a moment longer, and looking up at him through teary, amber eyes. "I love you so much, Lee… I know your dad and I didn't tell you much when you were growing up… But we love you so much, and we are so proud of the life you've made for yourself… Even if it was just to prove a point to us that you weren't too far gone."

"We should have been there for you as a teenager. I know that… But just look at how far you've come… In less than two hours you're going to be a married man… And that was all down to you."

The whole time that Christine was speaking, Lee's own eyes had filled up with tears. Of course he knew that his parents loved him, but they'd never actually told him. The entirety of his teens had consisted of them telling him to 'clean up his act' and to do better in school, which he'd reminded them time and time again, was easier said than it was done. So to have his mother, standing before him, and telling him without any doubt that she did, in fact, love him? It was almost a dream come true for him.

"You… Thank you, mom… Really… Thank you…" He muttered softly, his hand moving up to set over hers as it rested on his jacket, giving it a small, supportive squeeze. "But you really don't give yourself enough credit…" He added, as he let go, and she dropped her hand down again, now reaching into her white handbag, to pull out a small packet of tissues.

"God," Lee smirked, a small, soft chuckle escaping him as she dapped at her eyes, trying to not smudge the small amount of makeup she was wearing. "You're gonna have to get some more of those, if you keep this up… Ain't even the emotional part yet and you're crying."

A small swat of the hand followed his words, landing on his bicep. And, before she could retort, Brad's voice sounded from down the stairs, making both of them take a short, sharp breath of pure nerves and excitement.

"Mom! Lee! Get your asses down here! The car's ready!"

* * *

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and everyone in-between," Amanda smiled entering the living room ahead of Carley, her pale green, V-neck dress shining in the morning sunlight that was streaming through the window as she addressed the gathered family before her. Among the mix was Carley's grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and bridesmaids; most of them relatives the bride hadn't seen in months, but they were family; so thus were immediately involved in the wedding day from the outset. "For the last time, let me introduce Miss Carley Evelyn Palmer!"

The woman in question moved into the room now, almost gliding through the doorway and into the living room. A hush descended across what had previously been a room filled with excited chatter and jokes, as they took in Carley's appearance.

Angelic was the only word to describe her, standing in the doorway with the sunlight streaming in behind her, casting what could only be described as an aura around her entire being. Her hair had been pulled curled only slightly, after being combed through to make it as pristine as possible, with the shoulder-length locks being pinned back on one side by a large, white rose.

Her dress was a stark white (Which Amanda had laughed about to no end, due to the traditional meaning of the colour), and was a soft, floaty material. The skirt of her dress reached down to her knees, and was finished by another flower on her left side, similar to the one pinned into her hair, although it was a little smaller, while the top half of the garment crossed two pieces of fabric to form almost a tight 'toga' effect, with the two pieces of material forming the cups. Her shoes were a pair of only slightly heeled, white Mary-Janes, with closed toes and a thin strap.

Jennifer was the first to speak, as she stood, approaching her daughter with tears in her eyes, before reaching out and cupping the other woman's cheek, wiping gently beneath Carley's eyes to get rid of the makeup residue that had settled.

"Honey… Oh, sweetie…" She managed to choke, before immediately enveloping in a hug, tears now tracking down her own cheeks. Jennifer's palm ran over Carley's back as they hugged, and the younger woman almost melted into her mother's warm, comforting embrace. It seemed to be over before it started, however, as Jennifer moved to hold her daughter at arm's length, looking her over yet again, to completely take her in. "Carley you are so, _**so**_ beautiful… It's hard to believe it's my little girl standing there…"

By now, Amanda was ushering out the rest of Carley's family, with them muttering soft wishes of good luck as they passed her, grins on each and every one of their faces. Eventually, it was just David, Jennifer, and Carley left in the room, comfortable silence surrounding them.

David eventually gulped, moving forward and setting his hands on his daughter's shoulders, before reaching up with one palm and cupping her cheek, wiping away a tear that had escaped in the emotion of the moment between the two women. When he spoke, it was with tears of his own threatening to fall, and an expression of absolute pride written clearly on his face. "Baby girl, you look amazing, honey… You really do…"

Carley's hand rose, to set over her father's larger, rougher one, her thumb tracing the back of his hand gently. "Thank you… Thank you guys so much… For everything…" She managed to choke, her emerald eyes rising to lock with theirs individually. Then, almost without warning, she enveloped her parents in a tight, almost desperate hug, her hands clasping in their suit jackets.

A soft cough alerted them to Amanda's presence once again, as she stood in the doorway, twiddling her own bunch of flowers in her hands nervously. "Guys… It's time…"

* * *

Friendship Presbyterian Church in Athens was a tiny church; barely big enough to sit forty people, even if they were squeezed in tightly and pretty much sat on each other's knees in the white, wooden pews that lined the majority of the church house, leaving only a little room for the aisle down the centre. At the front stood a magnificent cross; probably the most glamorous piece within the entire place, overseeing the guests that were now milling around, chattering in their seats excitedly.

At the front of all of them sat Lee, who was nervously fidgeting in his seat, and being softly reassured by Brad the entire time. The Everett clan had arrived not even ten minutes earlier, and surprisingly they weren't the first people there. They'd entered the church house to find almost the entirety of their wedding party congregated inside, having chosen their seats and taken their order of Service pamphlet.

"You know," Brad's voice sounded quietly beside Lee, taking the groom's attention once again off of the fact that Carley would be arriving at any moment. Brad had been chosen as Lee's Best Man at exactly the same time as Amanda had been chosen; so thus "It's not too late to back out, bud… Just say the word and we can high-tail it outta here."

Of course, the groom-to-be simply smiled and shook his head, reaching over to clap his younger brother on the shoulder reassuringly. Brad's aversion to the wedding was all for show; as evidenced by how much he'd thrown himself into his duties as Best Man. He'd also been insistent upon the two of them wearing differing outfits; with Lee's suit consisting of a full three-piece, whereas Brad's was just the pants and waistcoat with a shirt and bowtie.

Before the eldest Everett brother could respond, the preacher entered, wearing a black suit and dog-collar, making his way to the front of the church, and nodding to the two men, in a silent; unspoken signal that the bridal party had arrived.

A deep breath left Lee, as he stood, and made his way to the front of the church, readying himself for what was to come, with his brother beaming by his side, and his parents sitting in the pews behind.

This was it.

The noise of feet moving on wood floors seemed to never end, and before any of them knew, the opening notes of 'Suddenly' by Angry Anderson rang softly, causing a hush to go through the church.

At the entrance to the church house, Carley took a deep breath, and smiled at Amanda as she turned, to make her way down the aisle, before turning to her father. To say David's expression was one of pride was an understatement. Never had she seen her father so emotional, nor so close to tears.

"You sure you're ready, honey…?" He muttered to her, taking her smaller hand in his, and giving it a small, supportive squeeze. The eyes she'd inherited from him softened, and she smiled happily, a short nod being her answer. David cupped her cheek, before moving his hand back down, and crooking his right elbow, for her to link with her left. It was just as the chorus dropped in the music that the two entered.

A gasp seemed to travel through the entire church-house yet again. And Lee turned, his breath hitching at the sight of his fiancée standing at the other end of the aisle. Tears filled his eyes, and he seemed to take a small, barely noticeable step backwards, his jaw hanging open lightly.

She looked like an angel. That was the only way he could describe it. Carley seemed to be glowing, with the light streaming in behind her, and forming what could only be described as an aura, which seemed to almost surround her. Lee felt as if everyone else in the room melted away as she began walking towards him, her arm firmly around her father's, and a smile plastered across her face as her eyes remained locked onto her Fiancé.

" _Here we go… Start of married life… Give it thirty minutes and I'll be a married woman…"_ She thought to herself, as her heart began to speed up tenfold, and her hand was taken by Lee at the front of the church. She was shaking by this point, but out of pure excitement rather than fear. And, as soon as she looked into the eyes of her fiancé, all nerves she had seemed to dissipate, leaving only the beating of her heart, and the voice of the preacher.

"… _Let's do this…"_

* * *

True to their word, less than an hour later the pair were grinning as they emerged from the church house, arm-in-arm, with confetti flying everywhere, and after a few quick photographs, they were on their way to the community centre, which they'd spent the entirety of the day two days prior decorating.

They stood in the foyer, as they waited for the announcer to speak, hand-in-hand with grins firmly on their faces. Carley smiled, her hand moving up to cup his cheek, and rub gently at the slight stubble on his jawline, earning a soft scratchy noise. "You realize… We walk in there, and it's official…?" She muttered to him, as his larger hand clasped over hers, pressing a gentle, loving kiss to the inside of her wrist.

"Too damn right it is… Finally…" He muttered into her skin, leaning down to press his forehead to hers, his eyes closing for only a moment, before opening to stare into hers. "Carley Evelyn Everett-Palmer... Y'know it's got a little bit of a ring to it…" He teased lowly.

"We'll just stick with Carley Everett. Don't want to have to go to the ER with a sprained wrist every time I sign something…" She laughed back, leaning up to press a quick kiss to her new husband's lips.

They barely had time to relish in the feeling of the kiss when the Brad's voice was heard above the hubbub within the room. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my absolute honour and privilege to introduce to you, for the very first time, Mr and Mrs Everett! If you'd like to gather around the dance-floor, our Bride and Groom are going to take their first dance!"

That was their cue to burst through the door, grinning madly as confetti flew around them on their path to from the doorway to the dance floor, eventually ending with the two of them meeting in the centre, wrapping their arms around each other, and just holding each other, the music they'd chosen beginning to drift softly around them.

The song itself was a slow country ballad, having been chosen one night while planning the wedding. They'd been sitting on Carley's sofa with the radio playing in the background, when they'd finally gotten to deciding the playlist for the reception. Of course, the other music had been easy; a few slower country songs, and a few faster country songs (in keeping with their rustic, simple theme) with pop and rock between to keep things interesting. But, of course, that left them the task of finding a song for their first dance to keep with the feel of the venue and reception.

Then, after what seemed to be a never-ending stream of songs that either didn't fit, or didn't work for them as a couple, the soft notes began playing from the radio in the background, grabbing both of their attentions instantly.

* * *

" _Our love is unconditional; we knew it from the start.  
I see it in your eyes; you can feel it from my heart.  
From here on after let's stay the way we are right now,  
And share all the love and laughter that a lifetime will allow."_

* * *

That night had been a catalyst for their wedding plans, causing a chain reaction in productivity for the pair. Brad and Amanda had been beside themselves when they'd found out, having been itching to finish up their portions of the event and fit them in.

Initially, they'd intended to do the whole 'surprise choreographed first dance' bit, like they'd seen videos of on those MTV wedding shows. But as soon as they'd heard the lyrics and rhythm of the song they'd come to know as 'their song', that idea had gone directly out of the window.

And, as Lee rocked Carley in his arms, they both thanked the lord above and all that was holy that they had. Neither of them would have traded that moment for any cheesy, over-done dance routine, despite Brad and Amanda's protests.

* * *

" _I cross my heart and promise to  
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.  
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine."_

* * *

Carley's grin seemed to be permanently plastered onto her face as she was held in her husband's arms. Jesus—her _**husband**_. She'd never thought she'd be able to say that in a million years; let alone while still in college.

But then again, she'd never in a million years expected to love someone as much as she loved her boyfriend—no—her _**husband**_. God, how many times would she have to correct herself before it finally set in that she was married? She was no longer _**Miss**_ Carley Palmer. No, she was _**Mrs**_ Carley _**Everett**_ now.

And her smile seemed to only widen at that realization.

" _ **Someone's**_ gone all smiley…" Lee noted to her playfully, snapping her from her thoughts quietly as he lowered his voice so only she could hear him, his mouth only inches from her ear by then. "What's up with you, huh? Spill your beans, Miss Palmer."

Carley's hand gently squeezed his shoulders as they swayed, unable to help the (embarrassingly girly) giggle that escaped her. "Hey, it's _**Mrs**_. _**Everett**_ now." She corrected, pinching the shoulder-pads of his suit jacket again, almost as if she were trying to make sure everything was actually happening, and wasn't just an amazing dream. A soft smile formed then, and she leaned in, pressing a quick peck to Lee's lips.

"I just… I love you _**so**_ much, Lee. I can't believe this is actually happening…"

* * *

" _You will always be the miracle, That makes my life complete  
And as long as there's a breath in me, I'll make yours just as sweet  
As we look into the future, it's as far as we can see,  
So let's make each tomorrow be the best that it can be._

* * *

In response, Lee smiled back at her, and returned the gentle peck on the lips with one of his own. His dark eyes holding warmth within them that hadn't been there before; contentment that only came with pure, unadulterated happiness. Anyone who was present could clearly see the complete adoration the man held for his wife; Hell, anyone with _**eyes**_ would be able to see it.

"I love you _**too**_ , Carley…" He mumbled back at her, resting his forehead against hers with his brown eyes closing. It was as if they weren't surrounded by their friends, family, and colleagues; like they were the only two people in the world that mattered.

Slowly, the couple both leaned in during the last notes of the song, their lips meeting in a chaste, tender, yet loving kiss. Their bubble of completely isolated bliss was broken, and the applause that had broken out among their friends and relatives slowly faded through it. They could, also, faintly hear the DJ letting people know that the dance floor was open for anyone, but neither cared.

They didn't care for the rest of the day, either; even when they were inevitably pulled apart by their friends and families. Not _**one**_ moment passed where their eyes weren't watching the other, the smallest of smiles tugging at their lips when they were caught by the people around them. And, even as their taxi cab pulled out of the gravel driveway in the parking lot, both Lee and Carley only had eyes for each other, even while they were wrapped around each other, with their lips locked and their arms clutching tightly to one another.

This was it. This moment, right here, was the start of the rest of their lives. Long gone were the days of reckless partying, random sex, and drinking until four in the morning in hopes to get a hook-up. Neither Carley, nor Lee, could _**wait**_ for it. Sure, it was the end of an era; but it was also the start of something new and exciting… and they were doing it together. They knew that, whatever the future may hold, they'd face it as a team—the way they always had, and always would.

* * *

 _ **A/N -** **WELL**... it's certainly been a while, huh?_

 _SO much has gone down as of late, and I was so close to finishing this chapter... but it's here now, and im friggin' proud of it, to be honest. Expect a slightly more regular upload schedule from here on out!_

 _until next time, guys,_

 _Amy :)_


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